A Dish Best Served Cold
by Neuropsych
Summary: Loki wants revenge, and knows the perfect target
1. Chapter 1

**A Dish Best Served Cold**

 _AN: So! I've done fun, I've done angst, I've done hurt/comfort… Time for a little action story. And maybe some of everything else, as well. The usual disclaimer about not making money off the story applies._

OOOOOOO

" _What's your interest in Peter Parker?"_

" _That's my business."_

" _Wrong answer."_

" _Sorry."_

" _What possible interest could you have in a fifteen-year-old boy?"_

" _That's my business, as well."_

" _Why would you attack him?"_

" _I don't need to explain myself to you."_

" _We can keep him. As long as we want to."_

" _We can turn him into a fountain."_

Loki sat on the stone seat, lost in thought, his sharp features made even sharper by the scowl that practically cut his face in two while he brooded; fury coursing through his veins like a fire that couldn't be quenched by water, wine or time. The Avengers were so smug. The wizards, even more so. They'd caught him off guard and had managed to get lucky enough to trap him in one of their ridiculously simple spells. Then had mocked him. They had _dared_ to mock him. Him. A _god_. More powerful than anyone. Destined for glory and thwarted at every turn. It burned like nothing else could.

The Avengers would pay. The wizards would pay. Arrogance was the prerogative of the gods. It was intolerable that mere mortals had seen him defenseless. Even more galling that they were the _reason_ for it. But they would pay. Of course they would. It was only a matter of time.

And he knew just the way to hurt them all in one single blow. It was so simple. They all loved the boy. The Avengers. The wizards. Even his mockery of a god brother had reduced himself to the level of side show to entertain the boy at – of all things – a _birthday party_. The _boy_ was the way to their hearts. The best way to cut them all to the quick. To hurt them more than they would be able to bear.

The only problem was the protections on him. Not created by the boy. He was _weak_. Loki had met him and had seen into his mind before the protections had been put in place. Almost certainly put there by the wizards. If he could find a way around the protections, the boy would die, and they would all fall to their knees. Where they belonged. Again, it was simply a matter of time. He was excellent at solving problems. And taking care of annoyances.

He smiled, imagining the sorrow, the helpless anger, and the pain that he would cause them all. It was almost intoxicating. He just needed the right time – and the right circumstance.

OOOOOOO

"Do I even _want_ to know what you're doing?"

Peter looked over at the door to his quarters and smiled when he saw that Natasha Romanoff was standing there, leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her breasts watching him with an amused smile on her lovely face. Since he'd left the door open, he couldn't complain about the invasion of his privacy, and he grinned at the absurdity of having been caught with the front of his shirt pulled up, staring at his bare belly and chest.

"Check it out, Natasha," he said, looking down at himself.

She frowned and uncrossed her arms, pushing off from the doorframe and walking over to stand in front of him. She looked at his bare chest, skinny enough that all his ribs showed, even though she knew he ate with the typical enthusiasm of a teen aged boy.

"What am I looking at?" she asked, curiously.

He pointed at his chest.

"Right there. See it?"

Romanoff frowned, squinting.

"The freckle? Think we ought to have Stephen look at it? Maybe make sure it's-"

"Beside the freckle," Peter told her, pointing.

"What is that?"

"A chest hair," he told her, proudly.

"No…" she hid her smile and made a show of ending over and taking a closer look. "I think it's just dirt or something."

"Nope. I checked."

He was practically beaming.

"You're too young to have a chest hair," she told him, reaching for the hair and yanking it out.

Peter yelped.

" _Hey!"_

She gave him an innocent look.

"What?"

"It took me 16 years to grow that thing. You could have at least let me take a picture of it. Who knows how long it'll be before the next one makes an appearance."

Romanoff held her hand up, smiling.

"Now I'll have something to take with me to remind me of you while I'm gone."

She made a show of putting it in her pocket, and Peter shook his head, ruefully, and put his shirt down, rubbing his chest, slightly.

"Why aren't you taking the jet?"

"Because it's a _vacation_ , Peter. The jet is for work, not play."

"I play in it all the time."

"I know." She smiled, and hugged him. "Stephen and I are going to do our vacation the old-fashioned way. No jets and no magic. Just a slow cruise ship through the Gulf of Alaska and some down time together."

Peter knew the itinerary; he'd helped Tony and Pepper pick it out. The cruise was a thank you gift from Tony and Pepper to Stephen and Natasha. Stephen Strange because the man spent a lot of time taking care of Peter whenever he was sick and injured, and Natasha because she was Peter's first teacher when it came to all things self-defense – and keeping himself safe. Besides, it would be crazy to send Strange on a cruise by himself when everyone knew how he felt about Natasha – and they _deserved_ a vacation.

"I'll miss you."

She kissed his forehead.

"I'll miss you, too. It's only a week, though. We'll be back in no time."

"And you'll bring me a souvenir?"

"You know I will."

"Not a t-shirt, though," he added, smiling.

Romanoff let him go. He knew her too well.

"When is the field trip starting?"

"The bus should be here in an hour or so."

"Are you excited?"

He shrugged.

"Not really. Ned and MJ have already been here. The rest will be interested – who wouldn't be? But it's a little like showing off, you know? This is where me and Ironman hang out when he's not saving the world. This is where Captain America and I play video games."

"This is the bed I sleep in with Black Widow every now and then…"

Peter grinned.

"No one would believe me if I said it."

"And I won't be here to confirm or deny it."

"Yeah."

"Help me carry my bags?"

"Sure."

They walked next door to her quarters, and Peter saw that she'd packed two suitcases. One was larger than the other and he picked it up, easily, leaving the much smaller carryon bag for her.

"When is Doctor Strange supposed to be here?"

"Any time. We'll drop these off at my car and then go have some breakfast while we wait for him."

"I could drive you guys to the airport."

She smiled.

"Yes. You could. But your friends are coming, and you need to be a proper host and be here when they show up. I'll park my car in the extended parking at the airport – that way it'll be there when we get back. In case we arrive early, or late. No one will have to wait for us – and we won't have to wait for them."

"I wouldn't mind waiting. You know that."

She brushed her fingers against his cheek, her smile telling him that she knew he wouldn't.

"Next time."

"Okay."

Of course, maybe next time he'd get to go, too.


	2. Chapter 2

The bright yellow school bus arrived only a few minutes late. The bus driver pulled up the edge of the compound building and stopped in front of Tony and Peter, who had been waiting. Stark smiled at the kids on the bus, who all stood up – most of them gesturing excitedly at him – and raised his hand in a wave their general direction.

"This is a terrible idea, Peter," he said, never losing his smile.

" _You_ wanted to bet. I just wanted to play."

"You're such a –" He was interrupted when the doors to the bus opened and Peter's teacher scrambled out, first, leaving the kids on the bus for a moment.

"Mr. Stark, Peter," he said, walking over and holding out his hand to Tony. "Sorry we're late. We had to change buses."

Peter frowned.

"Why?"

"Oh. Well, there aren't very many of us, so I assumed the kids would be alright with a smaller bus. They were not. There were all kinds of protests about arriving at the Avenger's Compound in a short bus."

Peter nodded and smiled at Ned, who was waving at him.

"Well, let's get them off the bus and explain the rules for the day, shall we?" Tony said, putting on his best media face as he walked over toward the door.

Mr. Harrington made a waving gesture toward the bus and a moment later ten teenagers were standing in a line beside the vehicle. Ned wasn't the only one that was visibly excited; most of them looked eager to see the place. MJ simply smiled at Peter before turning to hear what Stark had to say and Peter noticed that Flash looked more annoyed than cheerful. Probably excited to be where he was, but annoyed and jealous that it was Peter that had gotten them in to the compound in the first place.

Somewhat surprisingly, he felt a slight tingle of alarm from his spider senses, but when he looked around, everything seemed to be fine. He wondered if it was just some kind of reaction to having so many of his school mates at the compound where so many things could go wrong. A lot of genius kids in a place with a lot of dangerous research, after all. He remembered the way Dr. Strange had described the sanctum as a tinderbox waiting for a match to strike in the wrong place, and was glad Tony had made plans ahead of time to be sure each of the students would be kept firmly in check.

"Welcome to the Avenger compound," Tony told them, smiling when a few kids applauded. "We've set up a tour of the place, first, and then lunch and a few activities for the afternoon. Due to the extreme nature of the place, there are a few ground rules that we do expect you to obey – without exception. Stay out of the woods. Don't touch anything that says _don't touch_ , and stay with your handlers at all times."

"Handlers?" Ned asked, curiously.

He wasn't intimidated by Tony, of course. He knew him well, by now.

Tony smiled.

"Yes, Ned. Each of you has been assigned a member from the facility to stay with you today. They will answer your questions, and keep you from getting lost – it's a big place, after all. And keep you out of _trouble_. If you need anything, you ask your handler and if they can't get it, or can't help you with it, they will find someone who _can_."

He tapped his watch, and the small crowd stirred and muttered excitedly when the door to the garage opened behind Tony and Peter, and several people walked out – including Clint and Steve. The kids recognized Captain America and Hawkeye immediately, and they watched eagerly as their teacher would call one of their names and as the teen stepped forward, one of the adults from the facility would team up with them.

Ned about burst when Clint was assigned to him, and MJ blushed with pleasure at the murmurs that were made when Steve Rogers himself stepped to her side with a cheerful smile and a wink. At his side, as always, was Jack, and MJ bent down to give the little lab some loving while she waited for her blushes to clear.

"Any questions?" Tony asked.

"Who keeps _Parker_ out of trouble?" Flash asked.

Tony raised an eyebrow at the almost belligerent question, and the boy who asked it.

"That's _my_ job. But he lives here. I'm not too worried about him getting lost. The rest of you, on the other hand… stay close, okay? We don't want to have to try to explain to your folks why the security systems decided to fry you."

The others laughed, which made Flash scowl, but Tony had already turned and headed for the garage. Ned and Hawkeye waited beside Peter as the rest followed Stark.

"Flash is in a real snit today," Ned said to Peter, watching as the boy looked around the garage as the small crowd walked into it and filed past the impressive array of vehicles. It was impossible to miss Peter's Pontiac parked next to the Lamborghini – or the license plate that made it so obvious who it belonged to. "You should have left him out, man. This trip would be so much more fun if he wasn't here."

"It's just for the day, Ned," Peter said, shrugging. He frowned when he saw Flash run his hand along the side of the Pontiac, though, and those spider senses still hadn't died down. They weren't screaming, or anything, but they were telling him that something was up, for sure. He didn't like that, at all. "Besides, I didn't make the list."

Hawkeye gave them both a sour look.

"If he causes you any problems today, tell me."

"He won't," Peter said, shrugging, again. "Come on, let's go see how Tony's dealing with being a tour guide."

Which made the others smile. They both knew that Stark had tried very hard – several times – to get Pepper to run the tour, with obvious results. _She_ was at the tower, after all, and Tony was running the show at the compound. Although Peter did think it was pretty clever of him to get the others involved as personal baby-sitters. He wondered if Natasha had scheduled her holiday to begin that day on purpose – just to avoid playing baby-sitter, too.

OOOOOOO

It wasn't too bad. Even Flash seemed impressed by the compound. He certainly looked around with the others. Tony didn't have any reason to keep any of the place a secret – although none of them were allowed to take photos in a few of the more sensitive areas. He showed them all the official Avenger places; the labs, the control room, the training areas and explained what went on in each section – or had Steve explain something. Then he showed them the recreation areas; the pool, the gym, the lounge and the field.

The highlight for most of them was when he took them out to the Quinjet and Hawkeye opened it up for them so they could go inside. Barton stood at the entrance to the cockpit, making an obvious barrier that told the kids they weren't allowed anywhere near the controls, and Ned excitedly told the others about the simulators – which Tony had already planned to open up to them later.

"Peter's flown this," Ned said.

The kids all looked at the boy, who had been standing by Tony at the entrance to the ramp. He didn't need to go inside, so he was making space for the others to check it out. He flushed, but nodded.

"Seriously?" Abe asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah. I mean, a few times. Nothing too exciting. I don't get to take off or land or anything."

"Wicked."

Peter tossed Ned a look, clearly not wanting to be singled out by his friend, but Ned just grinned and moved out of the jet, not bothering to tell any of them that he'd thrown up in the thing at least a dozen times. That wasn't nearly as impressive a story, after all.

Eventually the group filed out of the jet, following Tony once more.

"Living with them doesn't make you one of them, Penis," Flash muttered to Peter as he walked by. "If your aunt hadn't died, you'd be sitting in class with the rest of us today."

Peter felt a wave of fury – _not_ an emotion he was used to – and his fist clenched before he even realized it had happened. A hand was suddenly on his, stopping him from raising it before he knew what he was doing.

He looked up and saw Steve beside him. Rogers' expression was a combination of concern and outrage, and he hadn't missed the fact that it had taken a lot of pressure to stop the hand.

"Don't, Peter," Steve told him. "Bullies will always look for the fastest way to make you mad – or to hurt you. He obviously knows what button to press for you. He's just trying to drag you down to his level."

Peter relaxed his fist, but he was still tense. He nodded, though, and Rogers let his hand go.

"Thanks, Steve."

"You're welcome. Stay away from him, okay?"

"Yeah."

Easier said than done, though.


	3. Chapter 3

When the tour of the facility was over, the kids were taken to the commissary for lunch. It was buffet style and they were allowed to eat wherever they wanted in the room, but their handlers stayed close by them. Mainly because all of them were aware that there was less chance for mischief – even with a group of seemingly well-behaved kids – when there was a lot of direct supervision.

Ned and MJ sat on either side of Peter, flanking him, and Barton and Steve took either side of _them_ , increasing that barrier. All of them were aware that Flash was making a nuisance of himself, egging Peter on with every chance he had, muttering comments that were designed to make the boy angry or to hurt him. May's name had come up twice, even, and Peter was showing the strain of dealing with it.

"Your friend is not making any pals," Clint said, looking over at Flash, who was sitting as close as he could, and was rubbing his head as if it was bothering him.

Peter's head hurt, too. He shook his head.

"He's no friend of mine."

"He's really being an _ass_ ," MJ said, glaring over at Flash, as well. "Even for _him_."

"Yeah, he is," Ned agreed. "What are we doing after lunch?"

"We're going to open up the Quinjet simulators and the laser tag for you guys," Clint told him. "Anyone who isn't interested can try the VR games in the gym."

"What are you going to do, Peter?" MJ asked. "The simulator?"

He shook his head.

"I'm going to go to my room, I think. At least for a little while."

"Are you okay?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. Just a headache."

And the annoyance of almost nonstop low intensity spider senses trying to tell him something – even though nothing was screaming at him and he had no idea what they were trying to tell him. There wasn't any physical danger, or the senses would be pointing him in that direction, and there wasn't anything to give him the sense that something was pending. It was like an ache that he couldn't pinpoint, and it was stressing him almost as much as Flash's behavior.

"Go take something for it," Clint said. "If Tony comes looking for you, we'll let him know where you went."

"Thanks. Tell him it's not serious, though."

That way he wouldn't worry.

Peter got up and took his tray to the garbage cans and cleared it. Then he stacked it with some others and left the room.

"Where's _he_ going?" Flash asked, rubbing his forehead but looking over at Ned and MJ.

"Don't worry about it," MJ said.

Flash sneered.

"He doesn't need his _girlfriend_ looking out for him Michelle. He's a big boy."

She rolled her eyes, but it was Ned who spoke up, also annoyed, and wishing that he could tell Flash just how lucky he was that Peter wasn't at all like he was – or he'd have been put in his place long before.

"If you're not careful, you're going to cross a line you'll wish you hadn't."

"Piss off, Ned."

Flash got up and headed for the same door that Peter had exited, but his handler moved to block it, well aware that the boy didn't have any reason to leave the commissary – and the bathroom was in the other direction if he did. The four at the table watched the conversation, but were too far away to hear the actual words exchanged.

They saw Flash storm back toward the other door, and watched the handler follow him, shaking her head and throwing Steve an annoyed look. Obviously, she wasn't going to volunteer for that assignment, again.

"He's acting odd," MJ said, frowning. "Even for _him_."

Ned just nodded his agreement and went back to his meal.

OOOOOOOO

Peter was seated on the sofa in his quarters. He was leaned back with his eyes closed and his head resting against the cool leather behind him. His spider senses tingled again just as he heard his door opening and he turned his head and frowned.

Flash was letting himself into his room as if he owned the place.

"I need to talk to you, Parker."

His expression wasn't cocky like it had been earlier. Now it was more conspiring. Almost cunning. His voice had lost its usual swagger, as well, and Peter's spider senses were singing at him once more. He stood up, looking around.

"Where's your handler?"

Flash smirked.

"I lost her when I went to the bathroom."

"Why?"

"I need to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you. Go back to the tour before they come looking for you."

"Let me ask you something. Doesn't it seem odd that your aunt got ill so quickly? She was pretty healthy, right? She looked fine when I saw her at school dropping you off."

"Get out, Flash," Peter told him.

"I'm just saying. Maybe it wasn't a natural illness that made her sick. Maybe someone _caused_ her to be sick. Someone with a grudge against you."

"You can't _give_ someone cancer, okay? I don't know what your game is – or why you'd even _care_ – but if you-"

"What's going on?"

Both boys turned and saw Tony Stark standing at the doorway, Flash's handler standing behind him, scowling. Obviously the handler had immediately realized what had happened, and no one could hide from Tony in the compound.

Flash shrugged.

"Nothing, Mr. Stark. I just wanted to talk to Peter."

"You're supposed to be with the tour. I suggest you return. Even better, I'll speak with your teacher and have someone take you back to the school."

"That's fine." The boy rubbed his head, wincing. "I've seen what I wanted to see…"

Stark raised an eyebrow, turning to the handler who hustled the boy out of the room, a hand firmly on his arm. When he was gone, and the door was closed behind him, Tony turned to Peter, who looked pale.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah."

"What did he want?"

"I don't know," Peter admitted. "He was asking me about May's illness. He said it didn't seem natural – whatever that meant."

"He's just screwing with you, Peter. Messing with your head."

"Yeah. No. I know."

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just… I have a bit of a headache."

"Take something for it and then come join us. The rest of you guys should have a much better time without him here."

"Okay."

OOOOOOOOO

"What are you doing?"

Loki turned, forcing his annoyed scowl to soften into a smile. It wasn't a very convincing smile, but he knew that if he were to appear too sincere it would raise suspicion – and the last thing he needed just then was any kind of meddling.

"Nothing… _brother_."

Thor didn't look convinced.

"You've been very quiet, lately. Why?"

"I'm contemplating my mistakes," Loki told him. "Searching my soul in order to better myself. To be worthy of the love of the people around me."

Now the blonde god scowled.

"You're mocking me."

"Yes. Go away, brother. I'm working on a project and I don't require your assistance."

"What kind of project?"

"It doesn't concern you."

"Everything you do concerns me, Loki."

The god of mischief smirked.

"I'm flattered."

Aware that he wasn't going to get a straight answer and growing bored with being the butt of his brother's snide comments, Thor moved on, determined to keep a closer eye on him, but knowing that Loki hadn't gone anywhere.

But he always bore watching.


	4. Chapter 4

Peter spent a few minutes in his room once Tony had left. The headache was already fading, even without taking anything for it, and he assumed that it had been from the stress of dealing with someone as antagonistic as Flash. He realized that the tingling from his spider senses was also gone – or was at least so low that he couldn't feel more than just a very, very low murmur that he could ignore. He took a couple of painkillers anyway and then did as Tony said and asked Karen where the tour group was and went out to join them.

Ned was the first to notice him – aside from Steve, of course. The boy was getting suited up to play laser tag with several of the others, and he looked over when Peter joined the others in the ready room.

"What happened?" Ned asked, quietly – for him, walking over to join Peter. "Did you _really_ get in a fight with Flash?"

"No."

Peter saw MJ and a couple others looking at him, and wondered what they had heard.

"Mr. Harrington said he was caught where he wasn't supposed to be."

"I'll tell you later, Ned, okay?"

His friend looked around and realized that it probably wasn't the time or place for the discussion – and knew that Peter would tell him, so he just had to wait. He shrugged, and nodded.

"Okay."

"Why aren't you in the simulator?" Peter asked.

He'd assumed that Ned would spend the entire trip proving to the others just how good he was at it. And he definitely _was_. Too bad he got motion sickness so easily and would almost certainly never have a chance at really flying the jet.

"I figured the others could have their turns," Ned told him, shrugging. "It's not like I can't play with it any time I come over."

"True."

"Come play laser tag with us."

He looked over Ned's shoulder and saw MJ beckoning for him to come play with them, too, and blushed.

"Yeah. Okay."

Ned didn't notice, but Steve's smile was amused when Peter walked up to the table to get a laser tag harness on.

OOOOOOO

Tony was right.

The rest of the day was much more enjoyable without the constant sniping Peter had endured that morning. He and the others played laser tag, and it had really become exciting for the others when some of the handlers joined in. They were going to be able to go back to the school and tell the others that they had played laser tag with Captain America, Hawkeye and even with Tony – who cheated outrageously and activated the Ironman suit and 'killed' everyone on the opposing team with a single shot that rebounded and ricochet several times and left Peter as the only one standing on his team.

After the expected protests, he grinned and shrugged, and allowed a reset so they could all start again. Peter laughed – which had been the whole point of Tony doing it – and they had played several games before finishing the tour with a snack in the lounge and a chance for the students to relax a little and even mingle with the Avengers in the setting that Peter saw them most often.

Then they were all rounded up and put back on their bus, with all of them thanking Tony and their handlers for what had been a really good time.

Being a good host, Stark stood beside Peter, watching the bus pull out, his hand casually on the boy's shoulder.

"That wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be."

"No."

Well, it had started even _worse_ , but the day had definitely ended on a high note.

"How's the head?"

Tony was clearly thinking about the beginning of the day, as well.

"It's fine. Thanks."

"Nothing lingering?"

"No. I'm good."

"Good. I'm going to go check in with Pepper and let her know how it went – _she_ thought sure we were going to lose someone and allow them to blow the place up."

He rolled his eyes, amused that she could even think such a thing.

"Because we've _never_ burned down a building before, or blown anything up," Peter said, smiling.

"You know… you _used_ to be such a nice, likable kid… what happened to that guy?"

"I'm _still_ that guy. Sweet, innocent…"

"A sixteen-year-old smart ass," Tony told him, ruffling his hair, affectionately. "Go find something to do, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for letting them come out."

"I didn't have a _choice_ , remember? Hustler…"

Stark winked and turned to head toward his quarters, and Peter headed the opposite way, going to his own. He did have a few homework assignments that he could work on – or he might just go play a video game or watch a movie.

OOOOOOO

"Hey, this is pretty _nice_ …"

Strange looked over Natasha's shoulder at the state room that they had just entered and had to agree. The room was much larger than he'd expected, considering the size of the ship that they had just gotten on. It wasn't one of those giant cruise ships that catered to a thousand souls at a time. This one held about 200 and was promising to be a much more intimate experience. The crew had been very friendly, and had welcomed them aboard with smiles and promises of a relaxing evening and all sorts of entertainments throughout the cruise.

Their room was dominated by a bed, but there was also a bar, a desk with a chair, a couple of upholstered chairs and even a mini fridge complete with snacks of all kinds. There was a large flat screen TV that was attached to the wall, and the decorations were light colors with prints of the same scenery that they could see just by looking out the window – or going up on deck.

"Yes, it is."

The bed was all that mattered just then, as far as Strange was concerned.

They had been traveling all day. The first flight to Seattle was crowded and bumpy – although they were in first class – and he'd managed to spill a glass of wine on himself and wasn't able to do anything ore than mop it up with the napkin that Natasha had handed him, since there were so many people about, going back and forth among the people in the cabin.

When they'd changed planes to go to Alaska, a simple thought allowed him to acquire a clean shirt as they walked through the terminal and they'd waited almost an hour before the flight had boarded. An hour with his arm around Natasha's waist, watching the other travelers and trying not to fall asleep.

Strange was not used to traveling. Not like _they_ were traveling, anyway. For him – and Wong – a trip to London, or to anywhere, really, was as quick as a thought, and it was really easy to get used to that instant mode of transportation. And to forget how inconvenient it could be to be stuck on a plane for what seemed to be endless hours, among screaming kids and babies and arguing couples.

The flight from Seattle to Anchorage wasn't so bad, but he hadn't been able to sleep then, either. Natasha had brought a book to keep herself occupied, and had simply tucked herself up against him to read while they flew. Strange could have popped himself in a book, but he'd been engaged in conversation with the woman across the aisle from him – a well-known physicist that even Stephen had recognized. He might not have said anything to her other than hello, but her companion had gone to sleep even before the plane took off, and she'd looked for conversation with the person sitting closest to her – and had been intelligent enough that Strange had been willing to be roped into a conversation.

Consequently, by the time they'd found their luggage, a transport to the cruise ship and their stateroom, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep.

"I wonder how their tour went," Natasha said, setting her luggage down on one of the chairs.

"It's Tony," Strange said with a shrug. "It either went amazing and the kids are all headed home with crazy stories to tell, or they blew the place up."

She smiled.

"Steve wouldn't let that happen."

"True."

"I think I'll check in with Peter. Just to be sure."

The doctor sat down on the bed with a tired sigh.

"He's probably fine. If something had happened, Tony would call you and let you know."

"Or he _wouldn't_ – to avoid interrupting my vacation."

"So don't interrupt your vacation," Strange said, pulling off his shirt and then reaching for her hand. "If they need you, they'll call. Right?"

"Yes."

 _Maybe_.

"Good."

"You're not worried about the _sanctum_?"

"Wong will call if he needs me."

Maybe.

She hesitated, but then sat down next to him. She just wasn't used to having no responsibilities and taking an actual vacation.

"I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right," he assured her, laying back on the bed and closing his eyes. He'd rest them for a minute and then see about taking a shower before finding something to eat. "I'm always right."

She gave an indelicate snort and leaned back as well. The bed was soft, and comfortable – and the company was good.

"I'll call and check in with Peter later."

He fell asleep before he could think of a reply, and she wasn't far behind.


	5. Chapter 5

"What are you doing?"

Peter looked up from the book he was reading and saw Clint standing close at hand.

 _"Reading._ What are you doing?"

"Keeping an eye on you."

"Oh?" the boy smirked. "I'm not going to do any tricks. You know that, right?"

"It's trick enough that you're managing to read without moving your lips."

Peter set the book aside and looked around the lounge. He was killing time, waiting for Pepper to come home, and doing homework at the same time. The lounge was empty, though, aside from him and Clint, and the boy dove for him, wrapping his arms around Hawkeye and tackling him to the floor, pressing his attack before Clint could make his own, first.

The two went down in a heap, each struggling to gain the upper hand on the other and enjoying the struggle at the same time. Neither noticed in their tussle that the room was no longer empty.

"What are you guys doing?"

They both looked up and saw Tony standing over them. Stark had a drink in his hand, proving that he had been in the room long enough to go over to the bar before coming to make sure no one was hurting the other.

"Nat asked me to keep on eye on Peter," Clint said, reasonably, one hand grabbing the boy's wrist, the other under his armpit trying to keep him from rolling over on top of him.

"She didn't say to _sit_ on me, I bet," Peter pointed out.

"She gave me permission to do whatever I needed to," he countered. "Besides, you started it. Remember?"

" _Whaaaaat_?" Peter looked up at Tony, his expression completely innocent. " _You_ don't believe that, Tony, do you?"

Stark shook his head, amused.

"You don't fool me, young man. I know better, now."

Clint gave a successful grunt and freed one hand long enough to thump Peter's chest.

"See? Natasha isn't here to protect you, now, and Tony knows how duplicitous you can be…. What are you going to do, now?"

" _Duplicitous_?" Peter repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Who taught you _that_ word? _Lila_?"

"Oh, it's _on_ , Peter Pony…"

Peter laughed as Barton's attack became more physical, with the archer tangling the boy in arms and legs, pinning him on his back so he could thump his chest with a single finger.

"You're going to have to let him up, soon, Clint," Tony told him when there was a bit of a lull in the activities as Peter was trying to figure out how to roll out from under Barton without hurting either of them. "Pepper's on her way in and I told her Peter would meet her in the garage with me."

"See? I still have Pepper," Peter told him, rolling at just the right moment, and catching Clint's arm to roll Barton as well. A moment later, the boy was on top, his light weight frame not doing much to hold Clint down, but his exceptional strength coming into play just enough to give him the upper hand without doing any harm. " _She_ loves me."

Stark was pleased to see Peter in a good mood after the morning that he had had, and was glad Barton had shown up and caused a distraction. Even if they _had_ broken a chair – probably without realizing it. The boy was so serious, so often, it was good to see Clint always willing to wrestle with him and help him blow off some of that energy that rarely showed itself but was always just under the surface.

"Let him up, Peter," Tony said, though, looking at his watch and reacting to a message from Friday. "Pepper's going to beat us to the garage if we don't hurry."

"You got lucky this time," Peter told Clint, rolling off of him and getting to his feet, easily, then offering Barton his hand to pull him up as well. "But I'm still going to tell Natasha that you were picking on me."

"She won't believe you. I'm the apple of her eye."

Tony rolled his eyes at that and put his hand on Peter's shoulder, steering him toward the entrance to the lounge. Peter grinned at Clint, double checking the archer to make sure he didn't hurt him or anything. It was a fine line he walked when he was wrestling with Clint. He wanted to play hard, but he knew that with his strength it was possible that he could actually _hurt_ him. The boy didn't realize it, but he was learning how to control his body and his abilities, without actually understanding that it was happening.

The _adults_ all knew – and all of them approved, which was why Clint was always willing to grapple the boy, and no one worried when they walked in on a wrestling match between the two. Discipline was an important lesson to learn, and there was nothing wrong with making a game of that lesson.

"We'll see you later, Clint. Pick up that chair, will you?"

"Yeah."

OOOOOOO

Despite the distraction, both Peter and Tony were leaning against the Pontiac when Pepper drove up. They both smiled, genuinely pleased to see her as they always were. She stopped and turned off the engine, opening the door before Tony could step forward and do it and getting out of the car.

"Hi, dear," he said, reaching for her bag, automatically, and brushing a kiss against her cheek first and then her lips. "How was your day?"

She gave him a smile, but Peter wasn't the only one to notice that it looked a little forced.

"Lousy. Busy and stressful and I suddenly have a dreadful headache."

Stark frowned and handed Peter the bag he'd taken from Pepper.

"Do we need to get a doctor?"

She shook her head, touched at the immediate concern, and brushed her hand against his jaw and then his chin.

"Just some aspirin and some peace and quiet. Do you mind if we do dinner in our quarters instead of in the lounge?"

"Of course not."

Stark closed the car door, and Pepper turned her attention to Peter, who had held back, uncertainly. He didn't want to intrude if she didn't feel good, and he wasn't sure if peace and quiet meant that it would just be her and Tony.

"Hey, sweetheart."

He smiled.

"Hi, Pepper."

"I heard the start of the tour wasn't so great, but that the rest of it seemed to go well…"

"Yeah."

Pepper must have recognized his uncertainty, because she hooked her arm through his and held him close enough to brush a kiss against his cheek, too.

"Do you mind if we eat in our quarters?"

"Me, too?"

That made her smile, and made Tony roll his eyes behind her, where she couldn't see – but Peter did.

"Of course, you, too," she said, tenderly. "It'd have to be a lot more than just a headache for me to not want your company. I want to hear what you guys did. Did MJ come? Did she enjoy herself?"

As usual, Peter blushed, but he allowed Pepper to keep her arm through his and lead him out of the garage and toward the corridor that led to her and Tony's quarters.

"I'm going to go get our dinner," Tony told them. "Peter? Your job is to keep her company until I return."

"Okay."

Stark veered off at the next intersection, and Pepper put her arm around Peter's waist as they walked.

"Was he a turd to the other kids?" she asked, conspiratorially.

Peter laughed.

"No. He was good. Played laser tag with them, took pictures and selfies. It was fun."

"Good."

She winced, rubbing her temple for just a moment, and Peter frowned.

"Are you okay?"

"It's just a headache, Peter."

"I could carry you…"

Which made her shake her head.

"Overkill. Believe me. But _thank you_. Just keep me company. That's more than enough."

"Okay."

OOOOOOO

The wine glass hit the wall with dreadful force, shattering into a hundred pieces and splattering the wall with a crimson stain.

Loki didn't even notice. His face was contorted with fury and his hand came up to his temple, rubbing it, even though the sharp stabbing pain was already fading.

"That _wizard_ did this…" he muttered, darkly, to himself. No one else was in the room. "Damn them."

The boy had been easy to subvert. When Loki had caught his mind with his own, he'd been amused that there was an underlying animosity toward Peter Parker already there. It made it that much easier for the god of mischief to take control of him. Enough control to start the seed of uncertainty about the aunt's death.

Until he'd overstepped in his eagerness, and had gone so far that the boy was banished from the Avenger facility.

Loki hadn't been concerned, though. The first part had gone so well. The next part of the plan was to catch the minds of those closest to the child, and use them to continue to sow the seed in the boy's mind that the death of the aunt had been calculated. He wasn't going to have anyone come out and directly call him by name, but the boy would figure it out, and would be angry, and would try to retaliate.

In order to do so, he would leave the safety of the net that the wizards had surrounded him with. Then Loki would have him. A single strike and the boy would be dead, the Avengers reeling with the loss, and even the wizards understanding the folly of going up against the will of the gods.

Then he'd tried to connect to Stark, right there at the facility. _Stark_ would have been the best option. The boy trusted him. _Loved_ him, even – although Loki couldn't understand why. Even crazier, Stark loved _him_. He would have been perfect.

The problem was that Loki hadn't been able to catch his mind, at all. His attempt had been met with not just a barrier, but also with a purely mental retaliatory slap that had left the god on the floor with a headache of his own. Furious, he'd tried everyone at the facility – with a lot more care than the first try against Stark – and had run into the same barrier.

The next try – once he'd had a chance to down some wine to soothe the ache in his head – had been an attempt to corrupt the mind of the woman. She was an even softer target than the boy as far was Loki was concerned. That attempt had left him in worse shape than the try on Stark. The message was clear, even to him. The people around the boy – and the boy himself – were unassailable to mental corruption. He would have to wait and see if what he'd started had been enough. If not, he'd use the girl, or the friend. _They_ weren't in contact with the boy as much as the others, but they could do the trick. Perhaps.

Loki could wait and see what the boy did, and how he reacted to what had been told.


	6. Chapter 6

Dinner was a quiet affair. In deference to Pepper's headache, Tony had Friday turn the lights down a little to avoid any glare and he made sure none of the monitors or screens were on in their quarters when he returned with dinner. They didn't eat at the table, either – even though there was a small one for just that purpose, and there were bar stools if they wanted to sit at the bar.

Instead, they sat on the sofa, one of them on either side of Pepper, who had taken a couple of pain killers when she'd arrived and by the time they were done eating and she'd had a chance to relax a bit, she assured them that she was feeling much better. The headache was gone, she told them, and she rolled her eyes good-naturedly when Tony pressed his palm against her forehead to check for fever.

"Think we should call Stephen back to look at her?" he asked Peter with a smile, winking at the boy over Pepper's head.

"Natasha would kill you," she said, laughing. "Besides, I feel better, already."

Tony didn't look worried. It wasn't the first time she'd come home with a headache, after all. He _did_ suggest that she go to bed, though, and get some rest, and mentioned that if she still hurt the next day she wasn't going to go to work.

He didn't tell her what to do very often, but she didn't mind. She set her plate aside and leaned over, pressing a kiss against Peter's temple.

"Apparently I'm being sent to bed. Do you need anything before I go?"

"No." He hugged her, leaning against her for a moment, before pulling back. "I'll see you in the morning. Get some sleep."

The boy gathered all their dishes onto the tray Tony had brought and told them goodnight, saying he'd take everything back to the lounge.

"Do you have any homework?" Stark asked, assuming the role that Pepper would normally handle.

"Nope. Video games all night for me."

"Don't stay up too late."

"It's a school night. I won't."

Peter left with his loaded tray, and Tony went into the bedroom and found Pepper already in bed and already drowsing a little. It was only Wednesday, but she was ready for the weekend.

"How do you feel?" he asked, sliding under the blankets with her and gathering her into his arms.

"I'm _fine_ ," she assured him, resting her head on his chest and slipping her arms around him. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah. He just threatened to stay up late and play video games, but I laid down the law."

"Uh huh."

For all she knew, once she fell asleep, he was going to sneak out and play, too.

OOOOOOO

Peter stopped in the lounge long enough to return the dishes. The bartender was gone for the night, but he didn't have a problem letting himself behind the bar to take the dishes into the kitchen area and leave the tray in the sink. He rinsed the dishes to make it easier for the morning people to wash them, and then grabbed a bottle of water and headed for his quarters.

He sat down on the sofa, leaning back and closing his eyes, debating if he really wanted to play a video game that he'd have to set aside in a relatively short time, or if he would be better off just starting a movie in bed and letting it put him to sleep. He also wondered if Natasha and Dr. Strange had arrived in Alaska, yet, and were on the boat.

That question was answered almost immediately, and he saw a scene passing through his mind – clearly from Natasha's point of view since she wasn't in the image and Dr. Strange was. The two of them were walking up the little bridge that joined the ship to the dock. Peter realized then that he was going to have to be careful what he was thinking about when it came to those two being gone. Otherwise he was going to be shown things that were absolutely none of his business and would be incredibly inappropriate.

As if in response to that thought a scene started to form in his mind – this time from _Strange's_ point of view, and Peter opened his eyes and shot to his feet.

" _No!"_

The vision shattered before it could completely form and Peter shook his head, trying to figure out how to tell the Mind stone that some things were just plain _off limits_ – and that particular subject was right up there on the top of the list.

Bemused and flustered, he wandered into his bedroom and changed into a pair of sweats to get ready for bed – even though he wasn't really tired. He _had_ a pair of pajamas – Pepper had seen to that – but sweats were just as comfortable, really. When he was at the dresser, his eyes caught the picture of him and May in the park, which was sitting on the top of the dresser where he could always see it. He picked it up and walked over to his bed, looking at it and unable to help thinking back to what Flash had said earlier about how weird it had been that May had gotten sick when she had apparently been perfectly healthy.

He scowled, though, and set the picture beside his bed. Flash was an idiot, and had just been trying to bait him, he knew – and like Steve had said, he knew _exactly_ what button to press to do it. But there was a little nagging doubt there, as well, Peter recognized. Flash wasn't stupid. He was an _ass_ , yes, but he wasn't stupid. _And_ his dad was a doctor. Which didn't mean anything, he reminded himself. You couldn't _give_ someone cancer. Even if someone did have a grudge against him, there was no way that they could have taken it out on May like that. Cancer _happened_. It wasn't _fair_ , but it wasn't something that could be planned for, either.

He shook his head, annoyed with himself for being so gullible, and picked up his remote. He'd watch a movie and forget about Flash and his stupid comments. He had other things to worry about, after all.

OOOOOOO

 _The memory wasn't his. Not even close. Peter had never seen the room that they were in and from the looks of it – and the mental nudge in his mind – he had a feeling that it wasn't even anywhere on Earth. It was huge, with a multi colored floor and metal supports that looked almost biological. And crazily enough, standing in front of him was a guy who looked like Kurt Russel – with a gray beard and a crazy expression and an odd outfit that Peter knew didn't match any movie the man had ever been in._

" _I knew if I went back a fourth time, I'd never leave…" the guy was saying to Peter – but he knew that it wasn't him that he was telling the story to. "And the expansion wouldn't happen. The reason for my very being… I had to do what I had to do… but it broke my heart to put that tumor in her head."_

 _He felt shock. And fury. And anger. None was his, but he felt them all the same and understood them immediately. He felt them, too. The man that looked like Kurt Russel changed, morphing into other people. Other forms. Peter recognized some – but mostly he was aware that it wasn't Kurt Russel, it was some kind of supremely powerful being in the shape of all those other forms._

 _Someone who had the power to give a person cancer. Someone who could put a tumor in a woman's head and take her from him. He jerked himself away from the memory that wasn't his, May's face springing to his mind, instead. He didn't need another's memories. He had his own. Distraught and upset, his thoughts went to his aunt._

 _Had someone taken her from him on purpose? Why? Who? Did they_ want _him to be alone? It hadn't worked, though. He had Pepper. Pepper who loved him. Whom Peter needed._

 _Pepper who had come home with a headache._

Peter's mind screamed at him with sudden fear. Was _she_ leaving him? Was someone taking her from him, too? He had to check on her. Had to warn her. Had to hold onto her and keep her from leaving him. He couldn't handle losing her, too.

OOOOOOO

Friday's warning was almost too late. Even with a heads up from Karen that Peter was moving, Tony had barely opened his eyes when Peter was in their room. The boy was sobbing, practically gibbering and went straight for Pepper who was still asleep right up until he slid under her blankets and clung to her, tightly, shaking and inconsolable.

She looked over at Tony, alarmed, her arms coming around the boy and gathering him to her. She knew a panic attack when she saw one. Tony had had plenty of them, after all.

"Friday? Ask Karen if something happened."

" _Nothing. He just yelled 'Pepper', bolted out of his bed and ran directly here."_

"Peter?"

The boy didn't respond, and it was a long time before he stopped shaking and even longer before he settled into a restless sleep.

Pepper and Tony kept him between them, giving him what support and comfort they could. He'd been doing fairly well, lately, and the sleepwalking episodes had dwindled to one every ten days or so. This seemed a bit more serious, but they'd wait until morning to see what – if anything – Peter could tell them.


	7. Chapter 7

They were both awake when Peter finally opened his eyes. It was very early, but he was restless, and something pulled him from his sleep.

Pepper was still wearing what she'd gone to bed in the night before and had dozed off in the night holding him. She didn't have much choice, because he was right up against her – even in his sleep – and his hold relaxed only when he was asleep. When he woke, it tightened, again, even as he opened his eyes and looked up at them.

"Are you okay?" Pepper asked, softly, her hand brushing against his hair and his cheek.

He nodded, and she thought she saw fear in his expression.

"Are you?"

"Of course."

"What happened, Peter?" Tony asked him. The billionaire was still in the bed, too, still close enough to be a solid, comforting, presence next to the boy. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah." He turned to Pepper. "How is your head?"

"It's fine, sweetheart. Why?"

"I had a dream that someone gave a woman a tumor. Some evil guy that looked like Kurt Russel but wasn't. Then I thought about May… and then I was certain that someone was trying to take you away from me."

"She's fine," Tony assured him, pressing his hand against Peter's cheek, trying to forestall any new panic attack.

They'd been told that something like this might happen, of course. Panic attacks weren't a new thing for Peter – or for Tony, for that matter – and Dr. Bird had warned them that anything might set one off – or pull May's memory into Peters conscious mind and upset him.

"But what if she _isn't_?" he asked, looking worried and still scared. "What-"

"It was a dream," Pepper told him, leaning over and kissing his cheek, holding her cheek against his. "A terrible, terrible dream."

"It was so _real_."

"It must have felt that way," she told him. "But I'm fine."

" _May_ thought she was, too," Peter reminded them, his expression bleak and his eyes welling with unshed tears. "And then she was gone."

"Peter…"

He ducked his head, pressing it against Pepper's side.

"I'm sorry. I just… I was so afraid. And the vision was so… _real_ … I was – it wasn't me that Kurt Russel was talking to, but I was _seeing_ it, and he was so angry."

"Kurt Russel?"

"No. The guy whose mother was killed with the tumor. The one Kurt Russel killed – only it _wasn't_ Kurt Russel, it just _looked_ like him."

He knew he wasn't making any sense, but he remembered the anger, and the hurt so vividly. It had been real enough that he thought it _must_ have happened. Somewhere.

Tony frowned.

"I think we'll keep you home today," he told Peter. "Okay?"

The boy nodded, the fear leaving him, now. He could see that Pepper looked okay, and he knew it had just been a bad dream. It had to be. It was too crazy not to have been. And he hadn't even told them about the part with David Hasselhoff.

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be," Tony told him before Pepper could. "You know that."

"Go back to sleep, sweetheart," Pepper murmured, still holding him.

He didn't want to, but he was tired and warm, and talking to her had made him think that maybe she wasn't sick. In the night, by himself, it was so real. With them right there with him, the fear seemed foolish, and he didn't feel inside that anything was wrong. The tension eased and the comfort they were offering him took its place, relaxing muscles that had been so tense that they actually hurt, and making him close his eyes.

"We love you, Peter," Pepper whispered, brushing her fingers against his cheek as she watched him fall asleep.

He mumbled something that they couldn't understand, and he fell asleep, his arm still clutching her.

Tony caught her gaze once he was sure Peter was asleep.

"You're going to the doctor today," he said, firmly. "Just to be sure."

She rolled her eyes, but it was very rare for him to demand something. She just nodded, knowing it was easier to not make a fuss.

"Fine. After breakfast."

OOOOO

When Peter woke, next, he was calmer and more capable of facing the new day. It was well after ten by the time he dragged himself out of Pepper and Tony's bed and took himself back to his rooms to get dressed. Not that he had anything planned for the day – Tony hadn't changed his mind about keeping Peter home from school – so when he was dressed, he went to the lounge looking for a distraction.

Pepper had gone – presumably to the tower – although she'd kissed him before she left and asked if he wanted her to stay. Knowing that she had a million things to do that had nothing to do with playing pillow for him, he'd told her that he was okay and that he would be fine. No matter how much he wanted to hold her against him and never let her go. Tony was sitting in the lounge, pretty much waiting for him, Peter knew, and he walked over to join him at the table in the corner.

"Are you okay?" Stark asked as Peter sat down.

"Yeah. I just feel stupid."

Tony smiled at that and they both looked up when the bartender brought a plate loaded with scrambled eggs and sausages on it and set it down in front of Peter. Obviously, she'd just been waiting for him to arrive to feed him.

"I know. No reason to, though. You know that. Any idea what brought it on?"

He shrugged.

"Something Flash said yesterday – before you sent him home."

"Oh?"

"He mentioned that May had been perfectly healthy and didn't it seem odd that she got sick so fast and for no reason…"

"It was a pretty aggressive cancer, Peter."

"I know."

He did, too. Besides what Strange had explained to him, Peter had done a lot of research himself on it, thinking that there had to have a been a way to save her.

"Why are you listening to him, anyway?"

"Because I'm stupid."

Stark smiled, his tender gaze on the boy who meant so much to him.

"You're a lot of things, Peter," he said. "Stupid isn't one of them."

"Dumb?"

" _Young_."

Peter rolled his eyes, and Stark looked at his watch.

"You know what we should do?"

"What?"

"We should check in on Romanoff. Just to see how they're doing. What do you think?"

"Do you think we _should_?" he asked. "It's supposed to be a vacation."

"Of course, we should. They'll appreciate hearing from us. Trust me."

They definitely should before Pepper got back and vetoed the idea.

OOOOOOO

Natasha was sitting in one of the chairs in their stateroom, wearing a robe and fresh out of the shower when she heard Stephen's watch chime. Strange was wearing nothing but a pair of slacks and was obviously just out of the shower as well – the _same_ shower, truth be told – and he frowned.

"Should I ignore that?" he asked, looking at his watch. "It's Tony."

She smiled.

"If you do, he'll probably go Ironman and come looking for us."

Strange rolled his eyes but smiled at the truth in that statement and triggered his communications device.

"Is the compound on fire?"

 _"No."_

"Are you _bleeding_?"

 _"No."_

"Is _Peter_ bleeding?"

 _"No."_

"Did Wong call you and tell you that he changed his mind and he doesn't want to watch the sanctum?"

 _"Nope."_

"Then why are you calling?"

 _"Just checking up on you guys. Making sure you're having a good time."_

" _We miss you,_ " Strange heard Peter say in the background.

Romanoff frowned.

"Why isn't he in school?"

"Natasha wants to know why Peter isn't in school."

 _"He missed the bus, so I kept him home."_

"Is he alright?" she asked, loud enough for Tony to hear.

 _"He's fine. Tell her you're fine."_

 _"I'm fine. How's the boat?"_

"Ship," she corrected. "It's lovely. We're getting ready to go have breakfast."

" _We'll let you go, then_ ," Stark told them.

"Everything is okay?" Natasha asked, obviously not convinced.

 _"We're good. We just wanted to say hi."_

"Let me talk to Peter," Natasha said.

 _"Hi, Natasha."_

"Are you okay?"

 _"Yes."_

"Why aren't you in school?"

 _"I slept in."_

"You're not hurt?"

 _"No. I love you."_

She smiled, slightly, aware that he had effectively stopped her interrogation, but not minding a bit.

"I love you, too."

They signed off, and Stephen shook his head.

"Think we'll get a morning wake up call every day this week?"

"My guess is that something happened with Peter and Tony is trying to distract him."

"With us?"

"Who better?"

"You're not worried?" he asked.

"No. Not yet."

If she was, they'd be heading back.


	8. Chapter 8

They spent the rest of the morning in the lounge. Peter finished his late breakfast and then Tony pulled out the chess set to distract him, but the boy was already distracted and as such, he played badly, and Tony called a stop when he beat Peter the second time in a row. It was fun to win, but not when he was so clearly unable to concentrate.

"Hey…"

"I'm _sorry_."

"This dream thing still has you freaked out, huh?"

"Yeah. A bit," Peter admitted. "It was so _real_. The guy was so upset – and I was in his mind, you know? I think his name was even Peter… Feeling what he was feeling and reacting the way he was."

"How did he react?"

"He used a laser gun to shoot Kurt Russel into pieces."

"A _laser_ gun?"

" _Two_ of them. One in each hand."

"What are _you_ doing home so early?"

They both looked up and saw Clint and Steve had joined them, looking at Peter curiously.

"He had a weird dream and slept in this morning," Tony explained, knowing that Peter wouldn't care if the guys knew what was going on. They were his friends, after all, and needed to know if anything was affecting the boy. "We were just talking about it."

"What kind of dream?" Clint asked, sitting down and picking up one of Peter's pawns.

Distanced from the nightmare by several hours, now, and a lot of time to come down from the panic attack that had so paralyzed his mind, Peter was able to describe the events a little clearer than he had when he'd told Pepper and Tony about it, and Stark listened as intently as if it were the first time he was hearing it.

"That's scary," Steve said, shaking his head when Peter had finished.

"Something out of a bad sci-fi movie," Clint agreed.

"The guy was some kind of _god_ , though," Peter said. "He acted like it was no big deal to kill off this guy's mom. Like he could have done it a million times."

"Lucky we only know of a few of them," Clint said. "Thor wouldn't do anything like that, and wouldn't allow Loki to do it, either, I imagine."

"Yeah," Steve said. "Can't lift the hammer if you're not worthy."

The three men smiled at some shared memory, but Peter didn't get the reference – aside from knowing that no one but Thor could lift his hammer. He shrugged, but before he could say anything, Tony's watch chimed, softly, drawing his attention.

"Pepper's home," he told Peter. "Shall we go meet her?"

"Yeah."

They said goodbye to Steve and Clint and headed for the garage, with Tony resting a hand comfortably on Peter's shoulder as they walked.

"You realize I'm going to tell her that I beat you at chess?"

"Yeah."

" _Twice_."

Peter gave him a slight smile.

"She probably wouldn't believe you."

"Smart ass."

They ended up in the garage, leaning on the Pontiac as they normally did while waiting for Pepper. When the car pulled in Peter saw that Happy was actually driving it, with Pepper in the passenger seat. She smiled when she saw them waiting, and Tony stepped up and opened her door for her once the car had stopped.

Peter noticed that there wasn't a bag to be handed over, and also realized that she was much too early for her to have been at the tower.

"How'd it go?" Tony asked, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his cheek against her neck for just a moment before releasing her.

"Perfect," she replied. "I'm fine." Pepper reached for Peter, who had hung back, waiting his turn to greet her. She noticed that he still looked troubled, but not as panicked or afraid as he had. Of course, his default expression was far more serious than that of most teen boys, she knew. "Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"Better. Thanks."

If his hug was a little more desperate than usual, she could understand that – considering the dream that he'd had – but she had a ready answer for him, now, and when she let him go, Pepper wrapped an arm around him, and slid the other around Tony, smiling a thank you to Happy, who hadn't left the car, yet.

"Let's go to the lounge. I could use a cup of coffee."

Steve and Clint were gone when they returned, and Pepper opted to sit on one of the couches to allow Peter to stay close, which he seemed anxious to do. Tony told her he'd get her coffee for her and she settled on the couch, with Peter sitting right next to her probably not even realizing when he leaned against her, silently asking to be held – which she willingly did, putting her arms around him and resting her chin on the top of his head.

"Did you have a good morning?" She asked him.

"It was okay."

"Did you eat?"

"Yes. Just a little while ago. And we talked to Natasha."

"Oh? Did she call and check in?"

"Tony called her. Well, he called _Doctor Strange_ , but Natasha was there, too."

"Why did he call Stephen?"

"To talk to Natasha."

"Ah." Pepper smiled, wondering what the two of them would think about having Tony calling and checking up on them. "Are they having a good time?"

"Yeah. Natasha said they were."

Stark interrupted with a cup of coffee and Pepper let Peter go enough to take it from him. Mindful of the fact that he was in the way of her being able to drink her coffee, Peter leaned away from her, sitting more upright, but still maintaining contact. Tony sat on the arm of the couch, even though there was plenty of room for him to join them.

"I went to the doctor, Peter," Pepper told him. She saw the panic rising in his expression and held up her hand to forestall any alarm. "Not because I'm not feeling well. I feel _fine_. But we wanted to make sure. To keep you from being worried. And I was due a physical, anyway. The doctor did a CT scan, _and_ an MRI. They gave me a clean bill of health. I'm fine. Okay? Nothing to worry about."

He nodded, and they could both see that he looked relieved, even though he didn't say anything.

"For the record," Tony said. "Friday can do similar scans, and she _will_. Pepper's okay, though, and I am, too."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Peter didn't look entirely convinced, but he didn't look afraid, and he didn't look like he was on the verge of a panic attack, and that was about all that Tony and Pepper could hope for, really.

"Do you have any homework?" Pepper asked.

"No. I'm caught up."

With him actually in school, he wasn't having any trouble keeping up with his classes. Homework was easy, too, he'd found. With so many brilliant people in one place, if Peter didn't know an answer – and if the Mind stone wasn't paying attention and providing the answer, he could either ask Karen, or go to one of the others for their advice. Tony for the tech or science, Natasha and Steve and Clint when it had anything to do with social studies or world politics and Pepper, he'd found, knew her stuff when it came to English and philosophies better than anyone.

"I'm going to go do some work from the office to keep from getting behind, too."

"Can I come?"

She nodded, her expression tender, and understanding.

"If you want."

"I'm going to go find Steve," Tony said. "He wanted to look at incorporating my suit with some ground support training, and since we're good here, it's probably a good time to do it." He looked at Peter. "We're good?"

"Yeah."

"Dinner at six."

"Okay."

"And don't let Pepper talk you into Japanese food, okay? I want _cooked_ food for dinner."

Pepper smiled, amused, and stood up.

"He doesn't understand the joys of International cuisine, Peter. Luckily for me, _you_ do."

"Eating a _taco_ isn't the same as enjoying International cuisine, Pepper," Tony pointed out, getting up as well.


	9. Chapter 9

Peter spent the rest of the day with Pepper. She was very much aware of him being close at hand, even though she was working at her desk and the boy was lounging on the sofa in their quarters, apparently lost in thought unless she would ask him a direct question. He didn't require her attention, she realized. He just wanted to be near at hand.

As she worked, she watched him, unobtrusively, but he didn't seem to be stressed. He just seemed to want to be near her, and she assumed that it meant he wasn't 100 percent convinced that all was well with his world. Pepper could understand that. He'd taken a scare – even though it had all been in his mind – and he wasn't going to get over it in just a matter of hours – or because someone told him it was okay.

Just before their dinner hour, she closed her laptop and turned off her cell and the two of them headed for the lounge to meet Tony.

"Did you get anything done?" Stark asked her as they sat down at their usual table. "Or did he talk your ear off?"

Peter smiled at the teasing.

"She doesn't know it, but she's teaching me how to make a lot of money someday."

"Oh?"

The boy nodded.

"I'm watching how she does it. Maybe if the superhero thing doesn't pan out, I can go into business management."

"We can start you in the mail room at Stark Industries," Pepper offered. "Work you up to apprentice in 10 – 15 years."

"Better hope the Spiderman thing works," Tony said. "Apprentices don't make much."

"I've got an in with the boss," Peter reminded him. "I'll probably do okay."

It was the first real attempt that he'd made to restore himself to good humor all day, and it made both of them smile.

"Is Ned coming this weekend?" Stark asked.

Pepper kept track of that more than he did, since she was the one that usually picked the boy up if he was staying the weekend at the compound.

"No. His mother needs him home."

"It's just us, then?"

Peter nodded.

"Yeah."

"Anything you want to do?"

Peter looked at Pepper, giving her first say – in case she had something in mind for them. She shrugged, though.

"I didn't have anything planned. But I'm willing to go somewhere if you guys want to – or stay home and do nothing. Both appeal to me."

"Peter?"

"We always do what I want to do," he pointed out. "You guys choose."

"Fishing trip it is."

"We're going to go fishing?" Pepper asked.

"Yup. We'll charter a boat and see how many fish we can catch on Saturday."

"But we're not going to _eat_ them, right?" Peter asked.

Stark rolled his eyes.

"No. We will catch them. Take pictures of them to impress Natasha and Stephen, and then kiss them warmly and let them go."

"That sounds like fun," Pepper admitted. "I'll make the arrangements, tomorrow."

OOOOOOOOO

They spent the evening playing board games. It wasn't exciting, really, but it was relaxing and enjoyable – and really, being Ironman was excitement enough for Tony, running a billion-dollar business was excitement enough for Pepper, and Peter had enough to think about being Spiderman and all that it entailed – as well as being a teen-aged boy and all of those stresses. Board games like Life, Scrabble and the like were fun and not life or death.

And they were a good way to spend time with each other in a similar setting.

Stark asked Peter if he was up to going to school the next day and Peter told them both that he was and apologized again for the night before.

"Do you need to sleep with us tonight?" Pepper asked when Tony left the table to refresh their coffee.

He'd shaken his head, understanding the reason for the question and the validity of her concern. He had been doing pretty good, lately, and hadn't had a breakdown like the night before in a while. But he was determined to take care of it himself and not have a setback if he could avoid it.

"I'll take a hot bath and make myself sleepy before bedtime."

She didn't look convinced, but she didn't argue.

"You know where we are if you need us."

Peter nodded, and gave her a wry smile.

"Obviously."

Which had made her laugh.

At the end of the evening, he walked with them to their quarters and said that he would meet them for breakfast in the lounge the next morning.

Tony closed the door behind them, but his expression was concerned when he turned to Pepper.

"I wonder if I should even bother to get changed."

"You think he'll sleepwalk?"

"He had a bad dream."

"I offered him our bed and he said he was going to take a long bath and make himself sleepy." She smiled, though, wrapping her arms around him and pressing herself against his chest. "You might call Natasha and warn her – just in case he goes looking for his security blanket in the middle of the night."

Obviously distance didn't matter to a boy who had access to a teleportation stone. If his subconscious mind went looking for Romanoff, the rest of him would soon find her.

"That would probably cramp their nocturnal activities a little," Tony said, smirking despite the seriousness of the discussion. "Could you imagine him joining them in bed at just the wrong moment?"

 _She_ smiled, too.

"If not for Friday and Karen, we wouldn't _have_ to imagine it."

Even _then_ , it had been close once or twice.

"I'll call and give her a heads up. Just in case."

"I'm going to take a page out of Peter's book and go take a bath," she told him, tilting her head up and kissing his ear. "Come join me when you're done?"

He nodded.

"Absolutely."

OOOOOOOO

"Should we come home?"

" _No. He's pulling himself together – and he'd be upset if he thought that he was the reason for you to cut your trip short. I just wanted to let you know what was going on – in case he comes looking for you."_

"He dreamed someone was going to give Pepper _cancer_?" Strange asked, curiously.

" _He said he dreamed that Kurt Russell already did it to someone else – only he thinks it wasn't a dream, that it was coming from the mind stone – but I'm having trouble accepting that."_

"Is he in bed?" Natasha asked.

" _He was going to take a bath, first, then go to bed, yeah."_

"If you need anything, call."

" _We will. Enjoy your trip, though. We'll worry about Peter enough for all of us."_

"All right. Good night."

Romanoff looked over at Strange. They were sitting at a quiet table on the deck of the cruise ship, enjoying an early dinner.

"I wonder what brought that on."

"Probably watched the wrong movie and ate the wrong midnight snack."

"Yeah."

OOOOOOOOO

The bath had been a good idea, Peter decided. It was one of the many suggestions from Dr. Bird, and not one that he did all that often. The bathtub in his rooms was a big one, though, and it had jets that were guaranteed to make sure he had water massages whenever he wanted.

Just then, though, he simply was soaking in water as hot as he could handle it, his head leaned back against the padded edge and his eyes closed as he thought back on his day. Natasha made it a point with him that he should consider his reactions to any particular situation and decide if the reaction – or action – had been appropriate, and if there was anything that he could do to make it more so if he found himself lacking.

In the instance of sleepwalking and nightmares, he knew that she wouldn't have anything negative to say about how he responded, since he really didn't have any say in what he did, and she knew that as well as anyone. But he thought about it anyway. Without the terror, fear and fury from the dream controlling him, he was able to analyze it a little, but he still thought that it was a memory and not a dream.

A vision in his mind of a brown-haired guy holding a Sony Walkman in his hand flashed into his mind and the name Peter associated with him, somehow.

So he was real. Or had been, anyway, Peter decided. Then he immediately had his doubts, because the next vision was a crazy looking bald guy built like Arnold Schwarzenegger with orange marks all over him, a walking tree and a racoon wearing clothes and holding what had to be a gun.

Peter shook his head and opened his eyes. None of them were gods – even the guy with the Walkman. Clint was right; even if someone did want to do the cancer thing, it would have to be a god and they only knew a few. Thor had liked May – or he wouldn't have agreed to go to her birthday party, and Loki was…

He frowned, not opening his eyes.

Loki was a god. A _godling_ , anyway. His specialty was mental tricks, from what Peter could remember from reading his mythology books. Mental tricks, but not actually doing anything to the mind. Not giving cancer to someone. That was probably stretching things a little. Besides, Loki wouldn't have any reason to hurt May – or threaten Pepper, really. He didn't know any of them.

He felt himself getting sleepy – the hot water was doing its job – and dragged himself out of his bath, dried off and went to bed. He glanced at the picture of May on his dresser and then looked over another one, this one on his wall. Pepper and Peter holding puppies, both smiling happily into the camera. Peter frowned.

He'd ask Ned what he thought. He wasn't going to react. Not until there was a reason to. Ned was smarter than Peter, and he knew about Loki. He'd have an opinion, Peter was sure.

He reached for the black teddy bear that Natasha had loaned him to keep him company while she was gone and tucked it against his side, wishing that she was there, but careful not to wish it so much that the teleportation rock would think he wanted to go to her.

It took a while, but he eventually fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

"Holy shit, Peter. You went to _Alaska_?"

"Yeah."

"Have you even been to Alaska?"

"No."

But now he _had_.

OOOOOOOOO

He'd woken that morning – _very_ early – with Natasha's arms around him and Doctor Strange sprawled in the bed with them, snoring lightly. _She_ was awake – the time difference between Alaska and New York was several hours – and had smiled down at him, sliding her fingers through his hair, reassuring him with a touch that everything was okay.

Peter had been mortified that he had interrupted their vacation, though, and had assured her that he was fine and was just being a spaz and didn't need her to come home. She'd told him to cuddle with her a few more minutes – he suspected that she was just double checking for bruises or blood anywhere – and then he'd kissed her, apologized again and had used the teleportation stone to pop himself back to his own quarters. He didn't know when he'd left his rooms for hers, so he didn't know how long he'd slept, but he was awake, now, for sure.

Tony had been waiting in his room – Natasha had immediately sent him a heads up on where the boy was when he'd crawled into the bed with her and Stephen, knowing that Friday would have woken him the moment Karen announced Peter had left, but had told him that she would let Peter sleep himself out in their bed before having Stephen portal him home.

He hadn't even looked concerned when Peter returned; he was just sitting on the sofa with his feet propped up on the coffee table watching TV. He watched as Peter sat down on the arm of the sofa, a little tired from the teleportation stone's side effects.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"How's Natasha?"

"Considering I interrupted her _vacation_? Pretty understanding. She wanted to know about my dream, and asked if I needed her to come home."

"You said no, I assume."

"Yeah. I told her everything's good, and that I'd pull out the duct tape next time if we needed to, to keep me in my own bed and out of hers."

"Is her room nice?"

Peter was surprised at the question. Tony was clearly not concerned about his sleepwalking – or if he was, he was doing an amazing job of hiding it. Maybe he had expected it.

"Yeah, it's a lot bigger than I thought it would be. There's a huge TV, and a little bar. I didn't really see all that much of it."

Just the bed and the main room.

"Are you going back to bed?"

He looked at his watch. The middle of the night in Alaska had translated to early morning at the compound, and it wasn't too long before he would need to get dressed and go find them for breakfast.

"No. I'm awake, now."

"Do you want to stay home from school?"

"I'm okay, Tony. Have you been up since I left?"

"Yes. But unlike _you_ , I can sleep this morning, once you guys have gone. And I probably will." Stark got up, brushing his hand across Peter's shoulder as he did. "We'll meet you in the lounge in half an hour for breakfast."

"Okay. I'm sorry."

Stark kissed the top of his head.

"Don't be. And you probably shouldn't tell Dr. Bird where you woke up this morning."

Peter had smiled and agreed, completely.

OOOOOOOO

"Was she _mad_?"

"No."

Ned's eyes widened as he thought of something else.

"Did you walk in on them _doing_ it?"

Peter flushed.

"No. I mean, I don't know, really. I was _sleepwalking_ , remember? I don't know what they were doing. I hope not."

Ned grinned, but before he could say anything else, MJ joined them, sitting across from Peter and setting her lunch down.

"What are you two talking about?"

Peter blushed, but Ned was a lot quicker than he was, and not immediately tongue-tied when MJ was around.

"Flash," he lied.

MJ smirked, looking over at Peter.

"He's telling everyone he doesn't even remember what happened at the compound. Says there must have been some kind of chemical leak or something that made him act like he was drunk. What a spaz."

"It takes a lot to get yourself kicked out of a field trip," Ned agreed. "That was pretty fun, too. Now everyone can stop asking about where you're living and everything."

Peter nodded his agreement.

"What are you guys doing this weekend?" MJ asked.

"I'm staying home and helping my mom."

"Tony decided we're going to go fishing," Peter told her.

The conversation moved to the weekend, and Peter didn't have a chance to ask Ned what he thought about the dream that he'd had. He hadn't really had much chance to _tell_ him about the dream, even.

OOOOOOOO

It was Tony who picked Peter up from school. He didn't _need_ to be picked up. He was perfectly capable of getting himself to his appointment with Dr. Bird – which was after school, now, instead of in the morning. Pepper and Tony weren't willing to allow him to face the doctor alone, however, and one – if not, _both_ – of them always was there with him, waiting for him in the little room until he was finished. They would also discuss with the doctor what – if anything – he thought needed to be addressed.

Lately, it had been pretty mundane stuff without anything really interesting to discuss – either with Peter, or with Pepper and Tony – but that was fine with him, the doctor said to Peter with a smile.

"How do you feel, Peter?" Bird asked the boy when he came into his office.

"I'm good," Peter replied, taking his usual seat across the desk from Bird. He noticed that the doctor was rubbing his temple and was wincing just a little. "How are you?"

"A bit of a headache, I'll admit. It's nothing. How have you been?"

Peter told the doctor about his dream. Since it was a dream, he didn't have to really hold back details. It was a dream, they could be as odd as possible and they didn't give away any of the few secrets that he still held from the doctor. As he spoke, he ignored the soft tingling that seemed to be his spider senses. Nothing screaming at him, telling him that he needed to get out of there and go save a school bus filled with children, or a dog crossing the busy road, it was barely even there. Simply an underlying thrum that wouldn't go away but wasn't really too demanding just then.

"So I freaked out a little," Peter concluded with a shrug. "Thinking that what happened to May had been deliberate. And worried about Pepper."

"Interesting." Peter expected the doctor to play it down, but he didn't. "I mean, it isn't as if you hang out with gods who could _do_ that sort of thing, of course. Otherwise I would worry about that being an actual concern. Why wouldn't someone holding a grudge do something like that, if they had the power to pull it off?"

Peter frowned, hesitating, but it wasn't like he could tell the doctor that he _did_ know of a couple of gods.

"You think?"

Bird nodded, still rubbing his head.

"Our own bible has multiple references to the wrath of God, right? Someone says the wrong thing and everyone suffers. Look at the great flood. Or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra. It's pretty gruesome, if you think about it."

Peter hadn't thought about it, of course, but now he was.

"Yeah."

"Well, our time is up," the doctor said, looking at the clock on the wall. "But I know if I were facing something like that – and I thought someone had taken someone I loved away from me – I'd want to seek them out and make them know how angry I was about the whole thing."

The doctor stood, and as usual offered his hand to Peter.

"I'll have Tony come in," the boy told him.

"What?" Bird frowned, and again rubbed his aching head. "Oh. Yes. Of course, please do. Have a good day, Peter."

"Are you okay?" Peter asked.

"Of course. I'm just relieved you're my last session today. Send in Stark. I mean, _Tony_. Please."

OOOOOOO

Not surprisingly, considering the headache, Tony wasn't in the doctor's office for long. He was smiling when he walked out a few minutes after Peter had seated himself on the waiting room sofa, gesturing for Peter to join him at the receptionist's desk.

"You ready?" he asked Peter, waiting for the new appointment card.

"Yeah."

Stark put a hand on Peter's shoulder and used it to guide him over to the elevator – which always made Peter smile. Like he didn't know how to get into an _elevator_?

"Let's go see what Pepper's up to and then head home."

"What did he say about my dream?" Peter asked, curiously, as they rode the elevator to the parking garage,

Tony frowned.

"Did you tell him about it? He didn't mention it to me. He said that he thought you looked a little tired – which you _do_ , by the way – but you seem to be doing well. Which you _are_. He even suggested we allow you a little more freedom. Of course, what does _he_ know?"

Peter was free to roam the city at all hours of the day. He had to be, to make an impact as Spiderman. Even though the doctor didn't know that.

Tony unlocked the car and it started as they were walking up to it. They were in the Lamborghini, so they weren't going to be picking Pepper up to go home, but they could still go see what she was doing – besides, she liked hearing about Peter's sessions when they were done.

"Fishing tomorrow," Tony told him as they pulled out of the garage and onto the street. "Pepper has it all set up."

"Okay."

Stark looked over at him.

"Are you _alright_? You seem a bit distracted…"

Peter shrugged, thinking back on the doctor's comments about vengeance and gods, and then shook his head.

"No. Yeah. I mean, I'm fine. Really."


	11. Chapter 11

Loki smirked.

Sitting in his quarters – almost a _cell_ , really, although there were no bars and no locks – he waited. The moment would come, now, and it shouldn't be long. All he needed was for the boy to be alone and out from the protections the wizards had placed not only on the child himself, but apparently also on the entire city and surrounding area.

 _He_ couldn't go there – the distance was too vast for him to cross without assistance. Assistance that he couldn't ask for from Thor without announcing his plans – or at least making his dolt of a brother suspicious. _That_ would never do, of course. He didn't _need_ to be physically there, though. Loki knew his magic was far reaching. He'd used the other student and then, marvelously, he'd been able to use the doctor that they trusted with the boy's mental health.

Such delicious irony.

Once the boy was away from the protections of the wizards – and from _Stark_ , who was a pest but carried a nasty sting, Loki would simply send a final strike and finish the boy. And complete his own vengeance.

How he looked forward to the disorder and the grief, the agony and the chaos that would follow once they realized what had happened. The boy would be dead. The Avengers would be reeling, and the wizards would understand, finally, that the gods were _not_ to be messed with.

He was looking forward to it.

One more thing to do. Just in case the boy was so stupid that he hadn't figured out someone was behind it, by now – and Loki had to assume that he was incredibly dense, of course. One more near accident would probably do the trick. If not, he could cause another. He preferred not to, of course. Reaching that distance wasn't easy. Doing it without anyone noticing was even more challenging.

But the effort would be worth it. He just needed the boy alone and away from the protection of the others.

OOOOOOO

Saturday dawned sunny and bright, but there was a definite chill in the air. After a big breakfast, Stark gathered his little family and they drove to the water, where the charter boat was waiting for them. It was a good-sized vessel christened the _Sea Bee_ which was owned by a retired Navy Chief who was obviously used to yelling at people when he was on the deck of a boat.

He introduced himself to the three, verified all of them could swim and handed out lifejackets to each of them, making sure that they had them on before he gave out orders to cast off from the wharf.

"This is going to be great," Pepper said, standing in the bow of the boat out of the way while watching the coastline get further and further away. She leaned against Tony, who was standing beside her, but she looked at Peter.

"Are you alright? You seem a little distracted today."

He nodded, looking away from her and watching the water in front of them.

"Yeah. Just thinking."

"Did you have any dreams last night?" Stark asked him.

The boy had fallen asleep after dinner the evening before, sprawled on one of the lounge sofas while Pepper and Tony played Pinochle with Steve and Bruce. Tony had just carried him to their bed and when he roused had told him that they wanted him close – just in case. It had been obvious that he wanted to protest and go back to his own bed, but Pepper had insisted, pointing out that with Natasha gone, it was her responsibility to try and keep him in bed, and theirs was larger than his was – and therefore more comfortable.

The reminder that he'd already intruded on Natasha once had probably been the deciding factor. He'd allowed Pepper to cuddle up against him and had gone back to sleep, holding her almost as tightly as he'd held her during his recent panic attack. He'd slept through the night, but his sleep had been restless, and both Tony and Pepper were certain that the only thing that had kept him in their bed – or in the _state_ , for that matter – had been the fact that he wasn't alone.

"Yeah." He hesitated. "I dreamed about Loki. And _May_."

Peter was tired. His sleep had been filled with images; reminders of the attack that Loki had made on him, and the fury in his voice and expression when he'd started flinging trees at him. Loki had tried to get into Peter's head, and wanted to know about him, and Peter had been in a foul mood that morning and had pretty much goaded him into attacking him.

He wondered if that would be reason enough to make the god mad enough at him to hold a grudge. Enough of a grudge that he'd take it out on May, rather than on Peter. Or maybe hurting May had been the way to get to Peter. Maybe he'd wanted to hurt Peter by taking May away. If he'd been in his head at all – and he had been, Peter knew – then he'd know what May had meant to him. _Dr. Bird_ seemed to think that it was feasible, and he was a pretty smart guy who knew how people's minds worked.

And maybe Loki was _still_ in his head and was aware of what _Pepper_ meant to him. That made Pepper a target. Like May had been.

Stark frowned.

"Why are you dreaming of _Loki_?"

"Because of what Flash said," he admitted. " _You_ know what Loki can do? _Could_ he have tried to get even with me by giving May cancer?"

"He didn't have any reason to get even with you, Peter," Stark told him. "You didn't _do_ anything. We're the ones who-"

"I made him mad, Tony. What if I made him so mad that he wanted to get even?"

"He nearly killed you," Pepper pointed out. She'd seen the bruises. "I'd say he was even."

"Yeah, but what if-"

"If he wanted to do anything, he would have gone after me," Stark pointed out, understanding the concern and trying to address it rationally. "But he _can't_ , Peter. He's not on this planet, and Thor is keeping an eye on him. He _told_ us that he was. If Loki even wanted to do something, he'd immediately alert his brother and Thor would come down on him faster than anything else could."

"He was in my mind, though," Peter reminded him. "He knows who I love. He knows who to go after to hurt me. He's a god, right? Couldn't he-"

"We're coming up on the spot we're going to drop anchor," one of the crew of the charter boat said, interrupting the conversation without realizing it. "Are you folks ready to have some fun? We found a large school of tuna in the area the other day. They're a fun fish to catch – a lot of fight in them."

"But then we can let them go, right?" Pepper asked, turning from the conversation with Peter. "We're just in it for catching. Not for keeping."

The man shrugged.

"If that's what you want."

He had long since given up trying to figure out the minds of tourists. Even when that tourist was Tony Stark. They were paying good money for the trip, and if they didn't want to keep the fish they caught, well that just meant someone else could catch them, too.

"We do."

The man headed back toward the wheelhouse and Tony looked at Peter.

"We'll talk about this later, okay?"

"Yeah."

They both knew it wasn't really the time or place, and both were determined to have a good time. Deep sea fishing was a new experience for both of them. And for Pepper, as well, they knew.

Within half an hour, they were baiting hooks and tossing lines in the water, hooked up to special harnesses that were designed to keep them from being pulled into the water if they managed to catch something stronger than they were.

The conversation wasn't forgotten, but it was put on hold – for the moment, at least. Which was good, really. It would give Stark more time to think of more arguments to try and put Peter's mind at ease about the whole thing.

OOOOOOOO

"Okay. You guys can just say it, now…"

"Say what?" Pepper asked, curiously, as they were getting into the car.

It was late. Well after dinner – even though initially they had been told to expect to be back at the wharf by late afternoon. An unexpected storm had come up and had delayed the boat coming back to the dock. It was raining pretty hard, and lightning was flashing in the distance and seemed to be coming closer at an almost alarming speed.

"I'm a genius."

"We _could_ say it," she agreed. "But would we have a specific reason to do so?"

"The fishing thing was a lot of fun."

Peter nodded, smiling. He'd had a great time. The excitement of catching fish that easily weighed what he did had driven his concerns and worry away – at least for the moment.

"It was great."

Stark gestured at the boy, also smiling, as he looked at Pepper.

"See?"

Since she had caught the most fish – as well as the biggest fish – Pepper had to nod.

"You're a genius."

"Hear that, Peter?"

"Yeah."

Of course, Peter already thought that, so it wasn't hard for him to admit it.

"Do we stop somewhere to eat?" Stark asked, starting the car and pulling away from the dock. "It'll be pretty late before we get home."

"Yes," Pepper said. They'd fed them lunch on the boat, and a snack once they'd pulled up the anchor and headed back to dry land to beat the storm, but that had been a long time ago and she was hungry. "Peter? A burger?"

"Yes. Please."

Stark nodded and turned the car toward the highway. They still had a long drive home, but he was definitely ready to eat something before going too far. The burger place that he had in mind was only a short drive away, but it wasn't a drive thru, so they'd have to chance getting rained on to go inside. Instead, when Tony pulled up to the restaurant, he parked in the front and offered to go inside and bring their meal to them to keep them all dry.

Peter said he could go, but Tony winked at him, looking over his shoulder at the boy.

"If _you_ go, then I can't order extra cheese and fry sauce. You know momma doesn't want me eating all that yummy goodness."

Pepper rolled her eyes at that, and Peter grinned.

"I think she's more concerned you won't fit into your Ironman suit."

"Did you just call me _fat_?"

"No extra cheese, Tony," Pepper told him, amused. "But _I_ will have a milkshake."

Stark made a face and nodded.

"I'll be right back."

The two watched as he trotted to the door of the burger place, and headed inside. The place was pretty busy, so they assumed it would be a few minutes, at least Pepper turned in her seat to look at Peter.

"Did you have a good time?"

"It was a lot of fun."

"Yeah." He started to mention the huge fish that she'd caught, when his spider senses suddenly were screaming at him that something was happening. As usual, they couldn't tell him _what_ , exactly, but he knew immediately that they were in danger. A _lot_ of danger. "Shit!"

"What is it, Peter?" Pepper asked, shocked by the expletive.

Not that she'd never heard the word before, but she'd never heard _him_ use it.

"Watch out, Pepper," he said, pushing open his door and getting out of the car.

Even as he moved, there was a brilliant flash of light, immediately followed by a roar of thunder that literally shook the air around them. There was a crack and Pepper yelped in fright, startled. Suddenly the windshield was shattered as the branches of a huge tree came crashing down on them and she flinched, knowing that there wasn't anywhere that she could go to avoid the trunk of that same tree, which was falling directly onto the car they were in.

"Peter!"

She had only a moment to hope he had escaped, then realized that the trunk wasn't moving any longer. Through the few spaces in the windshield that weren't spiderwebbed and shattered, she could see the trunk was stopped. Not by the branches that had hit the car, or the ground all around them. Hidden from view by all of the branches to anyone but Pepper, Peter was standing outside his open door, his arms raised and locked, the tree held in place by sheer muscle alone.

" _I got it_ ," he grunted, looking over his shoulder at her. "Get out, though – just in case."

Pepper scrambled to open the door just as the tree was lifted by an outside force. She saw the Ironman suit now holding the other end of the trunk, keeping it from toppling any further – not that Peter would have allowed it to move.

" _Pepper, move,"_ Tony ordered, unable to hold the tree and help her out of the car.

She did as she was told, looking back to make sure Peter was out of the way, too. The boy waited to make sure she was clear and then eased the trunk down onto the car, allowing Tony to take the weight and let him slide along the driver's side to get free of the branches and out into the parking lot to stand next to Pepper, who was pale and shocked.

A small crowd of people were pouring out of the burger place – which had lost all electricity from the falling tree taking out the power lines that fed it.

She grabbed him, checking for injury automatically, and aware that he was doing the same.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

The tree was moved just a little as Ironman set it down once Friday told Tony that everyone was clear – including another car filled with a family who had just pulled up for a late meal, as well. Stark disengaged the suit as he walked over to Pepper, his expression concerned, and ignoring everyone but her and Peter for the moment. Friday had already run a scan on the two, but he needed to be sure.

"Are you two okay?"

Pepper nodded, and he pulled her into his arms, both of them looking at the tree that had demolished the car, but hadn't been able to hurt anyone.

"That was close."


	12. Chapter 12

It was extremely late by the time they returned to the compound. A tow truck had been called to take the car back to the facility, but they wouldn't all fit in the cab of the truck, so a helpful state patrol trooper had offered to drive _them_ back home. Which was convenient, since the car would actually go to a tow yard for the night, and be delivered to the compound the next day. Tony took him up on the offer, and he took the back seat with Pepper, while Peter sat up front with the trooper.

"That was a pretty close call," the trooper said, looking in his rearview mirror at Tony – amazed at having Ironman himself in his cruiser. "Another foot or so, and you guys probably wouldn't have gotten out so easily."

Tony nodded, his arm protectively around Pepper, who was leaning against him and already half-asleep once the adrenaline had started wearing off. It had been a long day, after all, and had been made even longer by everything that had needed to be done to take care of the car, the other people at the restaurant and to assure Tony and Peter both that she hadn't been hurt.

Thanks to Peter's warning and quick actions.

Tony had heard what was happening when it happened, of course, and had reacted immediately, activating the suit and rushing outside. Peter had known _before_ it happened that something was going to, and Pepper knew that he'd almost certainly saved her life. And _his_ , of course. And probably the family that had pulled up beside them – even though they had been blissfully unaware of just how close it had been and hadn't been able to see what Peter had done due to the darkness and the cover given by the evergreen branches that had come down, first.

"Yeah, it was," Stark agreed, softly, trying not to wake her.

"It's a nasty storm. Came up out of nowhere, though. We were supposed to have pretty decent weather this weekend."

"That's what I heard, too."

Peter turned in his seat and looked over his shoulder at Tony, but he didn't say anything, seeing that Pepper was almost asleep. Like Stark, he wanted to let her sleep. Besides, the conversation _he_ wanted to have wasn't one to have with a police officer – or pretty much anyone else that wasn't an Avenger – with them.

He was tense, though, and even from behind him Tony could tell. Unlike Pepper, Peter was wide awake and anxious. The billionaire could practically feel the worry radiating from the boy. In deference to the fact that he noticed Pepper was sleeping, as well, the trooper was silent the rest of the ride, and handed Peter an umbrella when they finally pulled up to the Avenger compound garage entrance.

Rather than wake Pepper, who was now soundly asleep, Stark simply gathered her into his arms and pulled her out of the back seat, with Peter holding the umbrella over them both to keep them from being rained on. They quietly thanked the trooper for the ride and Peter held the door open while Tony carried Pepper inside.

"I know what you're thinking," Stark said, softly, as they walked through the corridors toward Pepper and Tony's quarters. "But it was a lightning strike and we just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"One that just happened to almost kill _Pepper_ ," Peter replied, just as softly.

"And _you_."

"I've had buildings fall on me, Tony," Peter reminded him, opening the door to Tony's quarters for him and then moving ahead of Stark to go move the blankets aside. "I wasn't in any danger."

"Did you sense it coming down?"

"No. It doesn't really work that way. I just knew something was going to happen and realized Pepper wouldn't have time to move. So I got out of the car at just the right time to catch the trunk."

Tony settled Pepper in the bed, just stopping long enough to take her shoes off before pulling the blankets up and tucking them around her. Then he brushed a tender kiss against her forehead.

"Saved her life."

Peter nodded.

"What do we do next time?" he asked, frustrated and scared. "Hope I feel whatever _that_ is, too? What if it isn't something that I feel coming? How do we save her, then?"

"Will you drop it, Peter?" Stark snapped, tired and stressed, and wanting nothing more than to spend time with the two people who meant more to him than anyone else so that he could reassure himself that they were truly alright. He sighed, seeing the rebellion in the boy's expression and in the set of his jaw. "I'm _sorry_. Look, it's been a long day. Pepper's tired, I'm tired, and you _should_ be tired, too. Let's get some sleep and we'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?"

Peter almost argued with him, but he knew Tony was right. It _had_ been a long day and he looked tired. Even _sounded_ tired.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, too."

"Good."

Tony reached out and hook an arm around the boy, pulling him up against him and wrapping his arms around him, hugging him, tightly.

"Did I say thank you, yet, for catching that tree?"

Peter shook his head, and buried his face against Stark's chest.

"No. But you don't need to, either."

"Protecting Pepper is _my_ job, Peter," Tony told him, gently. "Because of who I am, she's a target. We know that. _She_ knows that. It's one of the few things I can make her listen to me about. This tree thing… this whole _Loki_ thing… Let me think about it, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good." He ruffled his hair, letting Peter go. "Thank you for catching that tree."

"You're welcome."

"Sleep with us?"

Peter shook his head.

"I'm going to go get something to eat before I go to bed. I don't want to keep you awake."

Besides, they didn't want crumbs in their bed.

"You're okay?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't hurt yourself?"

He'd already asked the question half a dozen times. Peter shook his head.

"No."

"If you start feeling restless, come back, okay?"

"I will."

"I _mean_ it." He pulled off his shirt and tossed it on a chair beside the bed. "Part of my job is taking care of _you_ , too, you know?"

"I will. Good night."

"Night."

Peter let himself out and closed the door softly behind him. He could go to the lounge to get food, but luckily, he didn't really need to. He went to his quarters, instead, knowing full well that there were plenty of choices for things to eat in the fridge in his rooms.

He walked back across the compound to his rooms, his hand sliding against the door to Natasha's quarters when he went by it, and let himself into his living room area. He didn't bother to turn on the lights, and Karen already knew that he didn't need them automatically, so they stayed off as he crossed the living room and went into his bedroom.

He changed into sweats and a t-shirt, thinking back on the day that they'd had while he did. He smiled, because he'd had a lot of fun fishing, and had smiled with Pepper every time Tony had caught a fish and had then made a huge scene about how delicious each fish looked before he would roll his eyes and let the fish go, reminding it to tell all its friends just how lucky it was that it had been captured and released by Ironman, since Captain America would have eaten it for sure.

He thought about the tree coming down on them as he opened his fridge and pulled out the makings for a sandwich. It _could_ have been the storm, he told himself. There was no reason not to think that. He ate his sandwich and some chips sitting on top of his blankets – to reduce the chance of crumbs in _his_ bed, either. The storm came up suddenly, but lots of storms did. That was all part of mother nature and living on the ocean. He knew that.

He slid under the blankets, looking at the clock and realizing it was going to be light out in only a few hours. He sighed, tired and worn out, both physically and emotionally, and well aware that he needed some sleep. Besides, how was he supposed to prove to Tony that Loki was after Pepper, if he couldn't even prove it to _himself_?

Peter reached for the black teddy bear.

Was it just the storm? Or something more sinister? Or someone?

"Was it _Loki_?" he asked the bear, tapping its nose. "Could he have sent the storm? Or taken advantage of the storm to bring the tree down?"

The bear didn't answer him, of course. But he was jolted when the Mind stone suddenly did.

 _Yes._


	13. Chapter 13

Pepper woke before Tony did the next morning. She was lazy about it, too, well aware that it was Sunday and that there was nothing on the day's schedule that required any of them to get up right away. She felt Tony beside her long before she opened her eyes, which assured her that _Peter_ was fine, too, even though when she opened her eyes, she found Tony was the only one in bed with her.

Tony would have been alerted by Friday and would be off taking care of whatever had happened, or corralling him back into bed if he'd been sleepwalking. He was _sleeping_ , and that bode well for the state of her immediate family – at the moment, at least.

She stretched, remembering how scary it had been to see the lightning strike and the roar of thunder right overhead, and the crack of the tree snapping, the lightning boiling the sap in an instant. She shuddered at the vision of the trunk coming down on them, barely seen beyond the shattered windshield.

She felt Tony's arm come around her, and realized it was an automatic reaction to her shivering. Even asleep, he was reassuring her, and she allowed him to tuck her up against his bare chest. He mumbled something, but she didn't understand what it was and since he was still asleep, she was fairly certain that it didn't require a reply.

Instead of getting up and beginning her day, Pepper decided to go ahead and go back to sleep. She was tired, and besides, she didn't want to wake him if he wasn't ready to start his day, yet, either.

OOOOOOOOO

"You're up early."

Peter looked up from his chess board and smiled at Steve, who had walked over to the table he was sitting at in the usual corner of the lounge.

"Technically I'm up _late_."

"You didn't sleep?" Rogers asked, sitting down across from the boy and studying _him_ , rather than the board like he might have.

"We got in really late, last night."

Steve nodded.

"I heard about the tree thing. You're all right?"

"Yeah. The _car_ is pretty banged up, but no one got hurt."

"Good. Cars can be fixed."

It was a lot more complicated to fix a person.

"True." Peter hesitated. " _You_ know Loki, right?"

Rogers frowned.

"You're talking about Thor's brother Loki?"

"Yeah."

"I don't _know_ him, Peter. I doubt Thor even really knows him. But I know who you mean, yes."

"What can you tell me about him?"

Steve shrugged.

"Not much. You know your mythology, and the stories there. You know he's the one that was responsible for the events in New York, from all we can _tell_ , anyway. And of course, you met him when he attacked you."

He'd carried the bruises for weeks, after all.

"There's nothing good about him, is there?"

"I'd hate to say that about anyone," Rogers said. "Even him. But if there is, my guess would be it's deep and probably runs shallow."

"Yeah…"

"Why do you ask?"

Peter didn't lie well – and he would never outright lie to anyone, especially his friends. He definitely considered Steve to be his friend.

"He's been on my mind, lately. I think he's trying something."

"Oh?"

Steve had a lot of respect for Peter's spider senses, as everyone was coming to call them. They'd proven to be more than just guesses, anyway.

"Yeah. I think he's holding a grudge, and he's trying to hurt me to get even. But not by hurting _me_ , directly."

"Does Tony know about this?"

"He doesn't agree with me. He thinks it's all just coincidence."

"Huh. Well, the only way to convince someone is proof, I'd think."

"I can't let him feel what I feel, though," Peter pointed out. "And that's all it is, so far, is just a feeling – and the Mind stone flashing images at me."

"That's a tough one," Steve conceded. "He's not unreasonable, though, and he loves you. Any idiot can see that. Figure out how to prove it, and maybe he can talk to Thor or something, and do something about it. Or at least confirm what you think is going on."

"Yeah."

He didn't know exactly how to do any of that, but it was something to think about, anyway.

"At least we know what you're thinking," Rogers told him. "We can be watching out for any funny business. That's Loki's MO, from what we know of him."

"Thanks, Steve…"

He wasn't necessarily thanking him for the advice – although it was as good as anything, and certainly better than being told to drop it. He was really thanking him for listening, and taking his concerns seriously.

He knew that Tony loved him and listened to him, but Tony was also very much aware of the fact that Peter was _sixteen_ , and _young_ , and sometimes that got in the way of him taking him seriously when it came to things that were of a more adult nature.

"You're welcome."

Steve asked Peter about the fishing trip, then, changing the subject. He knew he'd hear plenty about the tree thing, later, and would see the car when it was delivered to the compound. He'd never been deep sea fishing, either, and wanted to hear how it was done. Peter was telling him about the giant fish that Pepper had caught – the biggest of the day – when Tony and Pepper both walked into the lounge, dressed and looking ready for their day.

The two crossed the room and Stark headed for the bar to get them coffee, while Pepper came up behind Peter, wrapping her arms around him as she was wont to do whenever he was sitting in such a convenient chair for hugging.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she told him, smiling a hello to Steve. "Who's _winning_?"

She'd seen the chessboard and had assumed that they were playing. Peter shook his head.

"We're not playing," he replied, reaching up behind his head to hug her, one-handed. "We're talking about the fish you caught."

"I assume there are photos?" Steve asked, nodding a good morning when Tony joined them with two mugs filled with coffee.

"You assume correctly," Stark assured him. "We took about a million ourselves, and part of the charter was a bunch taken professionally by the crew. We should be getting the best of them in the next few days."

Pepper let Peter go and sat down on one side of the table, while Tony took the other.

"How did you sleep?" she asked the boy, frowning. "You look tired."

"I didn't," he admitted. "By the time we got home, and I had something to eat, it was pretty much time to be awake."

And he was too revved up to sleep once he'd heard from the Mind stone concerning his suspicions when it came to Loki. He supposed that he could have misunderstood – or the stone might not have known what he'd been asking – but the more he'd considered the brief conversation, the less he could see any kind of confusion.

"But you're not hurt?" she pressed. "Something you didn't notice last night?"

"No. I'm fine, Pepper. Really."

"Are you hungry?" Stark asked him, also studying him.

Looking for any indication that he was going to continue the argument that they'd had the night before. He would like to have a meal under his belt before he had to start trying to get the boy to listen to reason, once more.

"No," Peter admitted. "I had a pretty big meal and it wasn't that long ago. I'll keep you guys company while you eat, though."

"Tell me more about this monster that you caught," Steve said to Pepper. "I hear it was the biggest of the day."

"She _cheated_ ," Tony said, immediately.

Rogers wasn't the only one to frown.

"How do you cheat at _fishing_?"

"I think they gave her the best bait. Or maybe the sharpest hooks, or something."

"We were using the same bait, Tony," Pepper reminded him, amused. " _And_ the same equipment.

The two described the trip to Steve in fairly good detail as the three of them ate a light breakfast and Peter watched, silently for the most part. He was paying attention enough that if someone asked him something, he was ready with an answer or an observation, but his mind was on Loki, and he was trying to figure out how to get proof for something so nebulous as what he had been feeling and experiencing.

When they were done eating, Steve excused himself to go get a few things done before the week began, and Tony looked over at Peter, nursing his cup of coffee.

"I think we're going to skip brunch today, if you're all right with that?"

Peter nodded.

"I don't feel like going anywhere, anyway."

And he didn't like the idea of Pepper being out where she was a potential target for who knew might happen next.

For that matter, the whole idea scared him, because she was going to be at the tower the next day, and he was going to be at school and Tony might be somewhere nearby, but more likely was going to be at the compound, which was even further away than Peter was, if something should happen. Neither of them would be close enough to help. Happy was there, but he was only one person – and one person, even one as good as Happy – wasn't going to be much help to Pepper if Loki decided to try something.

Pepper had come to recognize Peter's expressions fairly well by now, and the look she gave him was concerned.

"Are you alright, Peter? You look worried, suddenly."

"Yeah. No. I'm okay. Just… thinking about the tree last night."

He hesitated, glancing over at Tony and then back at her, deciding that it wasn't right for him to tell her what he was thinking and maybe scare her. Tony would tell her, he was sure – if he hadn't _already_ – so that she could be on guard. Although _she_ wasn't going to be able to stop a tree from falling on her and what if something happened to the structure of the tower itself the next day? _That_ wasn't something that she could escape from. He felt the panic rising and tried to squash it, knowing that she would worry about _him_ , when all he wanted was for them to both understand the danger that she was in.

"It was scary," she agreed. " _You_ were amazing, though."

He flushed.

"I want to talk to you about that," Tony told him. "A little later."

Meaning that he hadn't told Pepper what Peter had told him, the boy realized. He wanted to continue the conversation – he had to, to get Peter to stop worrying – but not in front of Pepper. He'd address the concerns with her later, so she would know what was going on, but first he had to get Peter thinking right, again. Then they both could work on reassuring her.

"Okay." Peter stood up. "I'm going to go to my room for a while," he told them. "I might take a nap…"

"We'll see you by lunch time?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah. Noon?"

"Sounds good," Tony said.

They watched him leave, and Pepper turned to Tony.

"Think he was afraid to sleep so he wouldn't sleepwalk?"

"Probably." He shrugged. "I'll talk to him about it later."

"He's looked so tense, lately."

"I know. He's worried about Lo-"

Stark was interrupted by his watch, and he looked down.

"A message?" Pepper asked, recognizing that it wasn't the same alert that he received when someone was actively calling him.

"Yeah. Vision and Wanda both want to meet."

"Not here, then?"

"No. We'd have to go to the tower. To keep the Mind stone from hurting Peter."

"Did they say what they want?"

"No. Just that it's important. And they want to meet as soon as possible."

"Peter's going to be sleeping. Let's go, now."

He looked over at her.

" _Let's?"_

"I want to know what they want, Tony," she told him. "It's almost certainly about Peter, and that means I need to know. Come on. The sooner we get there, the sooner we get back."

He nodded, and stood up. She wasn't going to be denied, and really, he had no good reason to keep her away. She was right; if it had to do with Peter, she needed to know.

"I'll tell them we're on our way."


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: today might be a busy one for me, being an odd Monday, so enjoy! I might leave you hanging for a few hours longer than usual. Although I'll try not to do so, of course._

 _OOOOOOOO_

 _"We need to finish our discussion."_

 _"Go away."_

 _Again not the expected response. The confusion turned into a scowl, only for a moment, but it was definitely a scowl._

 _"Someone has_ _tampered_ _with you, Peter Parker. Or with_ _me_ _. I'm not sure. I had to come_ _find_ _you. I don't like that."_

 _"I don't care."_

 _It was a lot easier to face a nightmare when it was standing in the rain with you, water dripping from its long hair and off its somewhat pointed nose. The stranger probably had water in_ _his_ _shoes, too._

 _"Who blocked you from me, Peter?" The man asked, taking a step toward the boy, intending to intimidate. "Why can't I get into your mind?"_

 _"You_ _were_ _in_ _my mind, remember?"_

 _He_ _did._

 _"But no longer. Why?"_

 _"Who_ _are_ _you?" Peter asked, yet again, and not expecting an answer._

 _"I am Loki, god of Asgard, master of-"_

 _"And I'm_ _Thor_ _," Peter interrupted, sarcastically. He shook his head and turned away, deciding he'd had enough._

 _"Don't you turn your back on me," Loki told him. "I am a_ _god_ _!"_

 _Peter didn't turn around. He'd had a hard morning, felt miserable, and was amazed that he'd been so frightened of a dream that now seemed so ridiculous._

 _"Good. Make me an_ _umbrella_ _, will you?"_

" _You'll pay for that…"_

Peter woke with a start, looking around, even though he knew no one was in his room, and no one had been. His spider senses would have alerted him, and would have woken him. He shook his head, remembering the dream that had led to a confrontation with Loki that had ended with Peter getting the worst of the situation.

Of course, when it had happened, he hadn't been at his best – and hadn't been aware of the danger that he was in at the time. Now it was different. He knew what Loki was. Knew what he was capable of doing. Knew so much more than he once had.

Peter hadn't planned to sleep when he'd returned to his quarters. He had managed to work himself up a bit, allowing his imagination to run wild with all the dangers now posed to Pepper by Loki, and was so tense that he was sure he wouldn't be able to even sit still – which had been one reason that he'd excused himself to go to his room in the first place.

"Karen? What can _you_ tell me about Loki?"

" _Everything."_

He'd sat down on his couch and closed his eyes as the AI started with all the Norse legends of the god of mischief – which Peter mostly knew but was hearing enough that he didn't interrupt the lesson. He wasn't surprised to hear that he was known a ton of other names but seemed to have the monopoly in their pantheon for being the cruelest of the bunch – as well as the smartest and the sneakiest.

Peter _knew_ he was sneaky. He had met him, after all, even though none of that had been his idea. He'd been in his head and had tried to pretend to be Doctor Strange, even, to get him alone. To do _what_ to him, Peter hadn't known then – and didn't know, now.

He drifted off during the recital of known facts and lore, and all he could think of was just how dangerous the trickster godling was. Not to _him_ – even though Peter had taken a beating from Loki in their first encounter that had left him in so much pain he'd been practically crippled for a couple of days – but to Pepper. And really to everyone around him. Maybe even Ned, or MJ.

But now he was awake. And well and truly caught up in the beginnings of a panic attack.

The fear rose in him, but it wasn't fear of _Loki_. It was fear of what he might do. What he _could_ do. Peter's life was finally getting straight, again, and he was actually happy, when he'd thought he'd never be happy again once May had left him. Had been _stolen_ from him? Could Loki have killed her? He wasn't convinced of that. But he _did_ know that the god was responsible for trying to kill Pepper. And she hadn't done anything to deserve it.

The panic was taking control – even wide awake as he was. As usual, Peter didn't know how to stop it, either. It rose inside him, fast and furious and taking away his ability to reason. Pepper was a target. It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair. Peter wouldn't allow it. He wouldn't let anyone hurt Pepper. Not just because they thought it would be amusing, or it would be a good way to get even. The panic had firm hold on him, now, and he knew he needed to find someone to help ground him, or who knew what would happen?

"Karen? Where's Pepper?"

" _She left the compound two hours and seventeen minutes ago."_

" _What_? Why?"

" _They didn't tell me, Peter."_

" _Alone?"_

" _No. She's with Tony."_

He headed toward his bedroom, thinking of all the dangers outside of the compound. All the ways that Loki could try to hurt Pepper. And, for that matter, Tony. He had the suit available, yes, but what if something happened so suddenly that he didn't have time to react? A missile? Or even a runaway truck or something? Peter would know it was coming, but Tony wouldn't. If something happened, Loki would take away two of the most important people in Peter's life.

And he would just laugh about it.

"No."

Peter wouldn't allow it. He could stop Loki. He had to stop him. Before he had a chance to hurt anyone else – or even _threaten_ to hurt anyone. Kurt Russell couldn't be allowed to do it, and neither could Loki. Peter wouldn't let him. He'd stop him before he had a chance to launch any other plot. To cause any more pain.

" _Do you want me to call Pepper, Peter? Or Tony?"_

If an AI could sound concerned, Karen was pulling it off.

"No. I'll handle this, Karen. Tony needs to stay with Pepper."

Just in case.

OOOOOOO

"We have a serious problem, Tony," Wanda said, turning from the view the tower afforded of the city and looking at Stark – and Pepper. "Loki is making a play against Peter."

"What?"

Tony and Pepper had arrived at the tower barely minutes before, reaching the deck level at the same time that Wanda and Vision appeared outside the entrance. They had let themselves in and had declined the offer of something to eat or drink – and Wanda, who was a bit more graced in the social skills than Vision, but obviously worried – had immediately brought up the reason for their meeting.

"It's definitely _Loki_ ," she said. "Peter's mind is a tangle of fear and anger – added to the usual concerns that he carries day to day – and this is all centered around Loki."

"What does Loki want with _Peter_?" Pepper asked, confused. "I thought that was all sorted out."

Stark made a grimace that wasn't pain, but almost looked like it.

"Peter has somehow got the notion that Loki gave May cancer to get even with him. And now he's worried that he's after you, too. He thinks the tree thing last night was the latest attack."

"It was a _storm_. Could he do that?"

"He didn't create the _storm_ ," Vision said. "But the Mind stone has confirmed to me – as it was confirming to _Peter_ this morning, early your time – that the tree was definitely Loki's doing."

"What?" Stark frowned. "Was he making a play on Pepper? Or on _Peter_? Both were in the car."

"I can't read him very well," Wanda admitted. "Either because of the distance, or because of his nature. The Mind stone _can_ – anything or anyone with a memory is in its sphere of influence – but it doesn't react to what it sees all the time – even where Peter is concerned. The thing connects with him, but it is in most cases an observer – unless it perceives a threat to him, when it will then allow the boy to access the memories and abilities of those around him to keep him safe."

"When did _this_ start?" Pepper asked. "Is that why he's been sleepwalking, again? He's been looking so stressed."

And now she knew why.

"A few days, at least," Wanda confirmed. "Loki is very subtle. But even he can't hide what he's doing, completely. His touch leaves a mark on the psyche of those he comes in contact with, and I've been looking for that. Peter has mental protections on his mind – you all do, through a series of spells that Dr. Strange and Wong came up with to avoid just this problem. The Avenger compound and the tower are mentally unassailable. Loki is also unable to _physically_ come to this area – and the spell that does this has been growing to add distances since it was cast. Eventually it will encompass the entire planet. For now, it's hundred of miles in all directions."

"It's a very impressive display of power," Vision added. "And should have been all that is needed."

"But?"

"Loki is trying to draw Peter out. Away from those protections, presumably. He can't get into his head, so he's used others. People who aren't protected, but still have access to him – like people at his school, and his doctor."

"Strange?"

That seemed unlikely.

"His psychologist. Dr. Bird."

"What?" Now it was Pepper who reacted. For obvious reasons. "Peter had an appointment with him a couple of days ago."

"Nothing looked out of order there," Tony said. "I would have told you if he told me anything."

"Peter told him about the dreams, but the doctor didn't tell _you_ about them," Wanda said. "Loki was in control."

"Bird had a headache, I remember."

"That would be from his mind trying to regain control over an intruder."

"Wait. What do we do?"

"We need to let Peter know what's going on," Vision said. "So he understands that it is a trap. He's in danger – and really, right now, he's a far greater danger to himself than Loki is."

"If Loki can get Peter away from the protections placed on him and the area – he'll kill Peter," Wanda added.

"Because he hates him that much?" Tony asked, confused. "He only met the boy last year and-"

"Because he hates _you_ ," Wanda said. "What would hurt you more than anything, Tony? What would bring you to your knees faster than a blow to you, personally?"

"Killing Peter. Or Pepper."

"Yes. Only if he kills _Peter_ , then he has made a blow against the sorcerers, as well, and made a point to all of you. They like you, Pepper," she said. "But they _love_ Peter."

"Son of a bitch," Stark said, softly. "We need to-"

"Something is happening," Vision interrupted, his expression distracted. "The Mind stone is linking with Peter."

"What's it doing?"

Wanda's expression was distracted, too.

"I can't tell. Peter's unreadable, but his mind is filled with panic and anger."

"Is he having a panic attack?" Pepper asked. "He-"

"No!"

OOOOOOOOO

He hadn't even crossed the entrance to his bedroom when the teleportation stone was suddenly in his hand. Cheerful as ever, it was eager to help, but Peter was too enthralled in the chaos in his mind to react to the cheer as he normally might have,

 _Where_?

"Take me to Loki," Peter told it, speaking aloud, but forcing his mind to focus on the god, so the stone would have no confusion as to who he was talking about.

" _Peter…"_

He didn't hear Karen. His mind screamed at him, his spider senses also reacting as the teleportation stone searched for a location of Loki from Peter's mind, and was suddenly provided with one. It didn't recognize the difference between the boy's mind giving the location and the Mind stone doing it. There was a sudden vision of a spectacularly appointed room with a figure hunched over, deep in thought with a glass of wine in his hand, and then the boy was gone.

An instant later, Karen sent a message to Friday, who was already relaying a message, as well.

All of them were too late.


	15. Chapter 15

The alerts came in fast and furious. Being in the tower like they were, Tony didn't need to have the Ironman suit to be active in order to interface with Friday.

" _Peter has left the facility, boss."_ And an instant later. _"Karen states that he seems to have teleported out of his bedroom."_

"Oh, my God," Pepper murmured, fearfully.

"Where did he go, Friday?" Tony asked, immediately, reaching for Pepper's hand to support her and remind her that there wasn't anyplace the boy could go that Friday couldn't find him.

Not with his watch on.

" _I'm searching."_ The GPS wasn't instantaneous, but it was fast, and it only took a moment for another response. _"I can't find him."_

"Did he leave his watch?" Tony asked, frowning.

" _Karen says it's gone, too."_

Stark's frown turned into a scowl.

"Then _where_ is he?"

Even if he was unconscious, they'd be able to locate him. It wasn't like when Stephen's cloak needed the boy awake to find him. GPS didn't work that way.

" _I don't know."_

"Did he say anything to Karen?" Pepper asked.

" _I downloaded from her archives."_

It was all audio, since they hadn't been lying to Peter when Tony had assured him that Karen wasn't in his room to spy on him. All of them heard Peter asking Karen about Loki, his voice sounding defeated and tired. She'd given the information in her database, advised that the boy had fallen asleep, and then the fast forward to when he'd woken up and had asked Karen where Pepper was. There was no mistaking the fear in the boy's voice or the anxiety when he'd asked if she'd gone alone. Or the resolve a moment later, still incorporated in the panic, but determined, when the boy had said that Tony needed to stay with Pepper and that _he_ would handle it.

And finally, in the silence of the room, they all heard the command.

 _"Take me to Loki."_

"Jesus."

"Where's Loki?" Stark asked Vision.

"I don't know," he admitted.

Vision was frowning as well, almost as if he was having trouble keeping focused on everything that was happening.

"What's the Mind stone telling you?"

"It's not. I'm trying to concentrate on it, but it is distracted – which doesn't happen often."

"Call Stephen, Tony," Pepper told him. "We need to find Peter."

OOOOOOOO

The sunrise was spectacular, coming over the glacier as it had, and had been worth waking up early to see. They were out on deck, bundled in warm coats and standing at the railing, looking down at the water. Open ocean on their left, wilderness – complete with jagged mountains, glaciers and heavy forests on their right.

"Two nights in a row…" Strange said, looking down at a pod of killer whales that seemed to be matching pace with the ship. Probably waiting for him to fall off the boat so they could eat him – although Natasha said she thought that they were playing in the waves the ship made as it went through the water. "Why am I still nervous?"

"Probably because _I_ am," she admitted, leaning back into him.

It wasn't the first conversation that they'd had about Peter the last few days. Natasha was edgy and she didn't know if it was just the usual concern she always seemed to have for the boy, or if it was something new – maybe from the Mind stone. Stephen was worried because she was – although he was certain that if there had been anything to be concerned about, Tony would have called them.

"He knows where you are," he reminded her, unnecessarily.

The kid had startled him almost impotent when he'd crawled into their bed the one night that he'd joined them. And they'd been _warned_ that it might happen. Silent and unassuming, but needing to cuddle with Natasha, Peter hadn't even noticed the bare skin he'd pressed up against when he slid under the blankets. They were both dressed with a thought and Natasha had held him, while Strange had made a quick call to Stark to keep him from worrying. He'd assured Tony that they would let him sleep himself out, and then he'd portal him home before the ship's crew had a chance to discover their stowaway.

"I know."

"We _could_ just go home," Stephen pointed out. "Come up with a family emergency story and get off at the next port."

"Peter would be upset if he thought that we cut the trip short for him," Natasha said, loving him for suggesting it. "It's only a few more days."

"I could tell him the cloak was missing me and insisting I come home."

She smiled.

"Is it?"

"It's probably enjoying the holiday."

"They'll-"

His watch chimed, interrupting her. With his arms around her and his hands clasped in front of her, Romanoff was able to look down and see who it was before Strange did.

"Tony?"

" _Stephen, I need you – at the tower. As soon as you can, please."_

Stark's voice was flat – which was him at his most panicked, Natasha knew.

"We'll be right there."

As soon as they found someplace less exposed to jump from.

OOOOOOOOO

It was impossible to startle a god. Ask any of them and they will all agree.

 _Loki_ most of all, since while he thrived on chaos and disorder, he was always extremely careful in his own planning and machinations. In fact, he was plotting, extremely pleased with himself, when he suddenly realized that he wasn't alone in his rooms. He turned, and was shocked to find that the boy had somehow appeared – _literally_ – out of nowhere and was standing close enough that if he'd wanted to, Loki could reach out and touch him.

Instead, he clamored to his feet, knocking over the chair that he'd been sitting in.

"You!"

His hands came up, a spell already forming.

The jump had been a long one. Much longer than the jump from the compound to the safehouse, and Peter was reeling by the time he found himself 'landing'. The only good thing about the sudden wave of exhaustion that almost brought him to his knees was that it allowed him to focus enough that while the panic still had him firmly in its grip, he wasn't so out of it that he would rush headlong into the encounter without thought.

The room was a big one, but exhausted or not, he didn't bother to look around, seeing his target in front of him and understanding immediately through the Mind stone the attack that was forming when Loki raised his hands. _He_ didn't recognize it, but the Mind stone did – having seen everything any magic user could summon – and it showed him instantly how best to counter it.

Peter had long since been taught by Natasha that it was ridiculous to chat in a real fight, and he didn't say anything when his own hands came up, a shield that he didn't consciously make forming with one hand to cushion the blow of the force bolt that the startled god threw at him, trying to intimidate the boy before the battle had even started.

Peter's other hand went sideways, a web shooting out of the hastily formed spinner. It hit Loki's hand and Peter jerked his arm back, forcing the god off balance and disrupting the second attack before it could even form when Loki stumbled forward.

He caught himself, immediately, and a well-directed bolt cut through the webbing that trapped his hand, allowing him to regain his balance.

" _Stop!"_

Peter wasn't listening. With the Mind stone more than willing to assist, and anger and fear in equal amounts spurring him on, he pressed his attack, taking advantage of the fact that Loki was obviously in shock at being on the receiving end of any kind of serious barrage. The series of force bolts that he threw at the god were blocked, but the assault drove Loki back, step by step, until his back was literally against the wall.

Suddenly there was a massive blow, aimed directly at him, that the Mind stone saw coming, and his spider senses felt building. He couldn't dodge it – the force was the size of the room and blasted everything from the furnishings to the items on the table – and the shield that Peter brought up to protect himself staggered him, but he didn't fall. His hands came up, again, and Peter saw Loki's eyes light up as he looked over his shoulder.

Peter felt the electricity building behind him through his spider senses and threw himself to the side just as a bolt of lightning crashed by him, almost striking Loki, but definitely meant for him. Or at least, meant to stop the battle. He rolled and came up, now facing more than one threat and was shocked to see Thor standing in the entrance to the room, a hammer in his right hand and the air around him literally crackling with energy.

"What's going on?" the deep voice asked, raising the hammer, directing it toward Peter, defensively.

"An _intruder_ , brother," Loki said, smoothly, smirking now that he was aware that he had the upper hand. It was two against one, after all, and Peter was obviously the interloper. "I don't know what he wants, but he's-"

Peter moved, reacting before Loki could somehow escape, the Mind stone once more telling him exactly what he needed to do – _and_ how to do it. He had to take care of the threat. Had to neutralize Loki before Thor stepped in and managed to stop him. Had to make sure that he couldn't continue to threaten everyone Peter loved. A portal appeared before Loki and when Peter's other hand moved, the portal engulfed the god of mischief and he was gone before he managed to do more than raise a hand in protest.

Thor stared incredulously at the spot that his brother vanished from in a familiar looking ring of fire, and then turned to the boy – for that was what was in front of him. A youth. One who had amazing abilities, but was still only a child. Then Thor realized that he'd met him.

"What have you done with him?"

Peter shook his head, drained now, beyond the ability to explain what had happened or to explain himself. He dropped to his knees, exhausted, the teleportation stone in his tightly clenched fist, but dimly aware that if transported himself home just then, the distance would probably kill him.

He watched as Thor walked cautiously over to the area Loki had last been, his hammer still in his hand, pointed at Peter.

"Where _is_ he, boy? Where's my _brother_?"

Peter started to say something, but a wave of exhaustion crashed over him and everything went black.


	16. Chapter 16

"Where _is_ he?"

They all looked up when Natasha and Strange strode into the room, both still wearing the coats that they'd been wearing on the deck of the ship. Natasha went straight to Vision, already pulling the coat off, but he was forced to shrug. An affectation that he had learned from Stark.

"I'm not sure. The Mind stone is incredibly active – it has to be assisting him – but I was getting flashes of a room, and a battle, and now there's nothing."

"Which means what?" Tony asked, looking worried – and angry.

Romanoff wasn't the only one who knew the anger was a way of hiding his fear.

"I don't know, Tony. I can't see what happened. I'd guess he went looking for Loki and found him, but I don't know how it ended."

Stark looked at Strange.

"Friday can't find him. He has his watch on, but the GPS isn't locking onto him. Can the teleporting rock take him off the planet?"

"To Asgard, you mean?"

"Why would he go to _Asgard_?" Natasha asked, confused.

"Because he's being messed with," Tony replied, not looking from Strange, who was staring at him, but obviously thinking through the question he'd asked him.

"I don't see why not. It would be like going anywhere else – only the distance is so vast… I can't even imagine how it would affect him."

Something Stark hadn't even thought of, obviously, from the sudden consternation on his face. But it cleared in moments.

"If Vision saw him fighting Loki, then he had to have made it. Can _you_ get us there?"

"I need to go to the sanctum. I'll be back as soon as I have the spell I need."

Strange glanced at Natasha and then vanished from the room with a thought.

"I shouldn't have left him," Pepper said, sinking into the sofa, her hands clasped in front of her.

She had heard the recording. Had heard how desperate Peter had sounded when he'd asked Karen where she was. She knew, instinctively, that he'd been seeking her out to help him, and she'd been gone when he'd needed her the most.

"He was _asleep_ ," Tony told her. He couldn't sit down – he was too worried to be able to sit still – but he went around the sofa to stand behind her and wrap his arms around her. "I should have listened to him. Should have known Loki was going to try something."

"Loki is very subtle," Wanda said. "None of you could have known."

"What happened, guys?" Natasha asked.

Plenty of time to play the blame game once they had Peter back.

And they _would_ get him back.

OOOOOOO

Heimdall stared at the boy sprawled at Thor's feet.

"Who is he?"

"How did he get here?" Thor asked, ignoring the question. "The Bifrost?"

"No one has come through the bridge, Thor," Heimdall told him, stung by the accusation but hiding it. "You know that I would have told you."

Besides, no one could have passed him without him seeing them. Especially a child.

Thor nudged the limp form with his foot, but there was still no response from the boy.

"This one is from Earth," Thor said, answering the question. "He knows Stark – and the Avengers. His aunt is quite pretty."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"I'm going to wait until he wakes up and find out what he did to Loki – then I'll make him undo it."

"Tell me again what you saw."

"A ring of power – like the ones used by the wizards on Earth. The child waved his arms and it enveloped Loki and he vanished."

"Then have the wizards return him from wherever the boy sent him."

"They aren't here – and I don't _want_ them here. We'll hold the boy until he returns Loki. Then you can send him home with the Bifrost."

Heimdall looked down at the boy again.

"Is he _hurt_?"

Thor grunted at the question. He hadn't actually thought to look. He'd only really had time to make sure the child was breathing, had slapped his cheek a couple times to try to rouse him and then had stood up when Heimdall had come running to see what was happening. He looked down at the boy, again, and then reached down and picked him up with one hand, using a good grip on the back of the waistband of his jeans and sweatshirt.

"We'll check him out."

Stark wouldn't appreciate it if the boy were returned injured. Even if Thor didn't have anything to do with it.

They put him on the ruins of Loki's bed and checked him for any signs of injury. Neither was a healer, but both had seen battles enough to know how to deal with any injury short of a mortal one. When they looked, though, there were a few minor bruises, but nothing that explained why the boy wasn't waking.

Heimdall looked around the room.

"He was fighting Loki?"

"He was using magic to do it," Thor confirmed. "I met him, once, and Stark never mentioned that he had such abilities."

"And then he simply made Loki vanish?"

"With a ring of fire."

"I wonder what Loki did to him."

Thor scowled at the automatic assumption that his brother had brought his fate upon himself, but he wondered the same thing.

He just wouldn't admit it.

OOOOOOOO

The Cloak of Levitation attached itself to Strange's collar almost before the sorcerer supreme had fully manifested in the sanctum. He couldn't feel it like Peter could, but there was no doubt that it was agitated. Obviously, it knew something had happened. Or maybe it had just missed him. Which was less likely than the former. The doctor had a little trouble getting his coat off with the relic clinging to him like it was, but he managed.

Wong appeared almost as if he'd summoned him, looking surprised.

"She dumped you?"

"What? _No_."

"Oh. What's wrong, then?"

Strange headed for the stairs that led to the library on the 3rd floor.

"Peter's in trouble."

He explained what little he knew as they headed for the library, and Wong shook his head.

"Loki hasn't tried to come here. I would have felt him trying the protections."

"No, this time he's playing mind games," Stephen agreed. "And it worked, apparently."

Strange looked through one of the book shelves, his fingers sliding along the books until he saw the one that he wanted.

"They really think he's on Asgard?"

"It would seem so."

"That's incredible."

"Yes."

He had to admit that he never would have thought Peter would have gone looking for a fight. And using the teleportation stone to get himself there was smart. _Dumb_. But smart. Obviously whatever Loki had done to get in his head had worked, perfectly.

"I'll come, too," Wong said. "You'll need the help, dealing with the Asgardians."

Strange nodded, looked in the book for just a moment before snapping it closed and returning it to the shelf.

"Ready?"

"Always."

OOOOOOOOO

"He dropped a tree on you guys?"

Pepper nodded.

Romanoff frowned.

"Loki isn't stupid. He had to know it wouldn't be allowed to land."

"He wasn't trying to kill them," Stark said. He still had his arms around Pepper, with his chin resting on the top of her head, giving her all the support that he could and stealing a little comfort, as well. "He was making a point to Peter. I just didn't see it. I even told him to drop it," he added.

"There's no point in-"

They were interrupted by the return of Strange – with Wong, and the Cloak of Levitation, and Tony let go of Pepper, brushing his fingers along her cheek as he did.

"What's the plan, Stephen?"

"I can portal us into Asgard. But without the GPS spell, I can't guarantee that we'll be anywhere near Peter's location."

"Thor might know where he is. He should know where _Loki_ is, anyway," Stark said.

Wanda stepped forward.

"If you get me close enough to him, I can find him – or find Loki, which is probably the same."

"You're coming?" Tony asked.

"Of course."

Vision couldn't go, for obvious reasons. Wanda didn't have that restriction.

Stark looked at Romanoff. He wanted her along, but needed her to stay. Besides, she was awesome, but didn't wield the kind of firepower that they might need – and he really wanted someone to stay behind with Pepper.

"Call Steve and let him know what's going on, will you?"

"Yeah. We'll take care of things here, Tony."

Pepper had stood up when he'd let her go.

"I want to come."

"Pepper…"

"We can't watch you," Wong said, interrupting before anyone could say anything. Of all of them, he was the one with the least emotional attachment to her – and could be blunt where the others would instinctively tread carefully. "You would only be in the way – and pose a potential target for someone to use against us."

"We'll find him," Tony told her, hugging her, tightly. "It's okay."

She clung to him fiercely for a moment and then let him go. Vision stepped forward to stand beside Natasha. There was a chance – even if it was _slight_ – that the whole thing was a ploy to get to Pepper, and it was important for them to make sure they didn't let their guard down, even now.

"I will remain _here_ ," he advised the others.

It was a reminder that if they found Peter – _when_ they found Peter – that they shouldn't bring him back to the tower without telling him first, so he could leave.

Stark nodded.

"Thanks."

Everyone looked at Strange, then, and the doctor brought up his hands, waved one, and a portal appeared. Tony activated the Ironman suit and the others followed him through.

They were gone in an instant.


	17. Chapter 17

None of them had been there before, so it was no small wonder that they all stopped and looked around as they exited the portal Strange had created for them. The place was impressive, and if they hadn't been so concerned about Peter, they would have stopped and looked even longer. Spires of metal, mountains that loomed over everything and brilliant water that reflected light – even though none of them actually saw a sun that provided it.

Stark looked away, first, and turned to Wanda.

"Which way?"

She hesitated, the red tinge that always seemed to give indication that she was connecting with her powers competing with the brightness of the open-air corridor that they had landed in. As she was turning, the Cloak of Levitation detached itself from Strange's collar and soared off the same direction that she had been looking.

It stopped long enough to make sure that they were following, and then headed along the corridor for fifty feet or so before turning inward, leaving the bright daylight for a new hallway that was just as large and just as impressive as the one that they had abandoned. It stopped short, though, almost immediately, and the others did, as well.

Standing in front of them, hammer in his hand and a several other men flanking him on both sides, was Thor. The god was clearly blocking the way – and didn't look pleased to have his home world invaded. Even when there were only four people doing the invading.

"Stark."

Tony didn't bother with pleasantries. He stepped forward, deactivating the helmet of the Ironman suit as the cloak returned to its position on Strange's collar, recognizing that it might be needed in a different role than bloodhound if things started going south.

"I'm looking for Peter."

Thor looked at the group. He recognized the dark-haired wizard, Strange, and of course he knew who Wanda was. The other one had to be a wizard, as well, since he didn't hold a weapon in his hands. There were four of them, only, but formidable. Besides, he considered Stark an ally – and a friend.

"He's here."

"Is he-"

"He attacked Loki, and has sent him somewhere." Thor looked at Strange. "With one of your rings of fire."

"Where is he?"

"I want my brother back."

"Where did he send him?" Strange asked, curiously.

"I don't know. And the boy won't wake to tell me."

"What?" Stark stepped forward, and while Thor didn't move a few of the men surrounding him raised their weapons. Which made Tony scowl. "Where is he, Thor?"

The god hesitated and then turned.

"I'll take you to him. Come."

Tony fell into step beside him, wanting to push him ahead of him to make him go faster – even though Thor's stride was long enough to make them all walk quickly. The men with the god ranged themselves around the four as they walked. Whether they were simply there to make sure no one wandered off, or to intimidate, it didn't matter.

It was _their_ home, after all. If they wanted to keep track of their visitors that was completely understandable.

As long as they didn't get in the way.

OOOOOOOO

Heimdall was leaning against a wall in the room Thor led them to. He didn't have a choice, since Loki's massive force wall had destroyed all the furniture except the bed, and while it was a good-sized bed, the boy was sprawled in it, and he wasn't going to sit on the edge of it. He didn't know the child, after all, and he wasn't a nursemaid.

Thor had told him to stay with the boy, though, when Heimdall had announced that intruders had arrived and he had done as he was told – even though he wanted to go and see who would dare enter Asgard without permission. It turned out that he hadn't needed to go, after all. He saw the group heading toward the room, saw a man in a metal suit, a woman who walked with a grace and confidence that made him aware that she was probably not one to mess with and two others, a tall, dark-haired man without weapons and a shorter, round man, who had that same easy confidence in his stance that assured Heimdall the group had been well thought out.

The man in the metal suit stepped away from Thor's side and immediately to the bed, and the figure on it. The others stopped at the entrance, watching as Tony leaned over, his suit deactivating, his hand coming to rest against Peter's cheek. His skin was hot, and his face flushed.

"Peter?" There was no reply. No indication of life, even, aside from the soft breathing and the faint pulse he felt in the boy's neck. Tony turned toward Thor. "What did you do to him?"

Strange moved to the bed as well.

"Nothing. He was battling with Loki when I arrive. My brother told me that he was an intruder, but the boy created the ring of fire before any more could be said. Loki vanished, then Peter collapsed and hasn't woke since."

They all noticed the scorch marks on the wall, but all knew that they didn't necessarily mean lightning and could have been from the aforementioned battle with Loki.

"He's breathing fine, Tony," Strange said, checking Peter's vitals automatically. The Cloak of Levitation surprised all of the Asgardians when it detached once more from Strange's collar and started rubbing a corner of fabric against the boy's cheek and ear. "He's burning up – no doubt from the magical energies in this place – and his heart rate is a little slow, but not dangerously so. We'll get him home and put him to bed."

Thor frowned.

"He isn't going anywhere until he returns Loki."

Now it was Tony's turn to frown, and he and Strange both turned toward the god.

"Excuse me?"

"I want my brother back, Tony."

"Your brother got _exactly_ what he deserved, Thor," Stark told him. "Do you know what he's been _doing_? He's been messing with Peter's head. Threatening Pepper, convincing Peter that he's the one who killed his aunt, and-"

"His aunt is dead?"

The question stopped Stark's rant – which was probably just as well, because Tony was furious with himself, and Loki, and would have probably talked himself into a confrontation that he didn't want to have with Thor. Not because he was _afraid_ of him – they'd fought before and he'd made a good showing of it, and his suit was even better, now – but because he considered Thor a friend.

"Yeah." His voice was soft, as if he was trying to keep Peter from hearing – although it wasn't anything the boy didn't already know. "She died of cancer a few months back."

"I'm sorry to hear that. She seemed like a good person."

"She was."

"I do not understand why you would think Loki was trying to make the boy think he had been the one to kill her, though."

"He was trying to draw Peter out from the protections that have been placed on him," Wanda said, speaking up for the first time.

"To what end?"

"To kill him."

Thor scowled.

"Loki has no reason to hold such animosity toward Peter."

"He's not fond of _me_ , though," Stark pointed out. "And I'm the boy's father, now."

"Loki wouldn't kill a child just to get to you," Thor protested. "He's a lot of things, but he isn't a _monster_."

"Loki would do anything. You know that."

"I want him back."

"When Peter wakes up we'll ask him what he did with him," Tony said.

Thor looked at Strange.

"You could bring him from the ring of fire."

The doctor and Wong both shook their heads at the same time.

"It doesn't work that way. I didn't create the portal, I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for him."

Thor had to accept that as fact. The wizard didn't have any reason to lie to him. He nodded.

"Then Peter stays here until he wakes up and returns my brother."


	18. Chapter 18

"No." Tony turned, moving so that his body was between Thor's and the bed where Peter was laying. "He's going to go home, and we're going to take care of the fever and bring him around. Then – when I know he's _okay_ – we'll see about bringing your psychopath of a brother back."

"Have care, Tony…" Thor warned. "You came here without invitation – as did the boy."

"No. The _boy_ did exactly what Loki wanted him to do and walked right into the trap your brother laid for him. Only he bit off a whole lot more than he could chew when he took on Peter, and now he's _paying_ for it. I'm all for leaving him in the portal for the next hundred years and letting him stew on that life lesson for a while."

"Peter can't stay here for too long," Strange said – to Thor and to the others. "I'm fairly certain the undercurrent of magic in this place is going to keep us from getting his fever down. If we can't, it'll cause permanent damage, or worse."

Stark frowned.

" _What?"_

"He's not in any immediate danger, Tony," the doctor assured him. "But he's better off at home in his own bed where we can monitor him ang get the fever down. He'd recover much faster."

"He can't bring Loki back if he doesn't survive," Wanda pointed out, looking at Thor.

The Asgardian scowled, well aware that she was correct, but not liking the fact that he was being backed down on his own world. His pride wasn't enough to risk threatening the health of the boy, though, and the potential of not having Loki returned.

"Very well. You can take him back to Earth. But I'm coming, as well. When Peter wakes, he will return Loki to me."

"Not on _Earth_ , he won't," Strange said. "If Loki pops out of a portal inside of the protections that we put on the place it'll turn him inside out. And I mean that quite literally."

Stark's expression was torn between fascination and annoyance. That was the first he'd heard of any such protections – at least anything so _gruesome_ – but he didn't want to let anything change Thor's mind now that he was agreeing to let Peter go without a fight.

"That can be figured out." He looked at Thor. "You're always welcome at the compound, you know that – I've _told_ you that."

It was a reminder to the god that he was a friend. An _Avenger_.

"We can take the Bifrost," Thor said, looking at Heimdall, who nodded his willingness to activate the magical bridge that could take them to Earth.

"No." Wong stepped forward. "That would kill Peter as quickly and painfully as if we allowed him to hold an infinity stone in the palm of his hand."

Strange wasn't the only one to look at Wong in surprise. He didn't know what they were talking about when it came to the Bifrost, but obviously Wong – who had many more years of experience and researching under his belt – had, and understood the nature of the portal, and the effect that it would have on someone as sensitive to magic as Peter was.

"We can bring him back through a portal," Stephen said. "They aren't powerful enough to injure him – as long as he isn't exposed to it for too long."

Which he wouldn't be.

Tony looked at Wong.

"Will you go to the tower and get Pepper and Romanoff?"

"Of course."

It wasn't like Stark could call anyone, just then. Wong vanished without another word. Like Peter and the teleportation stone, the magicians had no problem moving themselves magically – despite the incredible distances involved.

"Are we ready, then?" Strange asked, looking at Thor.

He didn't say it, but there was nothing Thor could do if Strange decided that he was going to take Peter back with them. As Wong had just proven, the departure would be immediate. Yes, the god could follow, but by then, they'd be on Earth, and he'd have two sorcerers, Wanda Maximoff, and a ton of furious Avengers that he'd have to deal with.

The god nodded. If he had any concerns about any of what Strange was thinking about, it didn't show on his expression. He looked at Heimdall.

"Watch the place."

"I will."

Stark turned and gathered Peter up into his arms, hoping for some kind of indication that he was close to coming to when he did so. A murmured word, a hand coming up to his cheek, even a tired sigh. He didn't get any response, though. The boy's head went to his shoulder, his cheek against Tony's neck. The cloak detached from Strange's collar and draped itself over the boy and Tony, presumably to protect him from any chill – or perhaps the magic of the portal, even if it was minimal.

Strange's hands came up, power trailed the motion that he made and a moment later a portal appeared, with its terminus in Peter's living room back at the compound.

Tony went through first with his unconscious burden, followed by Wanda, then Thor, and finally the doctor. A moment later, it closed behind them.

OOOOOOO

"Do you have any idea what is happening? Is the Mind stone telling you anything?"

Vision looked over at Pepper, who was seated on the sofa near at hand. Close to where he was sitting. Of course, sometimes she would be sitting, other times she would be pacing, clearly worried – although he still wasn't great at recognizing the different emotions of the humans he was learning to fit in around.

"The Mind stone isn't connected with any of those who accompanied Tony and as such is not keeping me apprised of what is happening, but Wanda is always willing to keep her mind open to it, and through it I can get a general idea of what is going on."

"So, what's going on?" Romanoff asked, leaning against the bar, but not even nursing a cup of coffee.

"They located Peter," Vision reported. "But not Loki. There is some disagreement from Thor whether he will allow the group to take Peter. Something to do with Loki – although Wanda is distracted at the moment, so I'm not completely sure what the problem is."

"Is Peter alright?" Pepper asked.

"He is not waking, but they found him. The world of Asgard is filled with innate magic, and Wanda is advising in random thoughts that Dr. Strange believes that it is causing Peter's temperature to rise. Another reason they are discussing bringing him from Asgard – although Thor is against it."

"Why would Thor want to keep _Peter_?" Natasha asked, confused.

As far as she knew, he'd only met the boy once – at May's birthday party. Even then, Peter had been distracted spending time with May and the others and had spoken to the Asgardian only a few times in the course of the evening.

"It centers around Loki, is all I know," Vision admitted. "If I had feelings in the same manner that you and Ms. Potts do, it might be easier for me to discern the conversation and the concerns that the others have. All I know for certain is-" he interrupted himself. "Wong is coming."

Pepper stood up, just as the sorcerer walked into the main room from one of the side areas, having learned years ago that jumping himself into a room that was known to be occupied was never a good idea.

"They are bringing Peter to the compound," he advised them without preamble. "Tony asked that I take you to meet them."

"Is he okay?"

"They all are," Wong assured him. "I'm assuming that Stephen will portal into Peter's quarters, so we will arrive in _yours_ , Natasha – if that is acceptable?"

"Of course."

Vision stood.

"I will remain here."

If he was disappointed that he couldn't go to meet the others, it didn't show, and Romanoff knew that it wouldn't.

"We'll keep you informed," she promised.

"Wanda will," he assured her, as if understanding what she was trying to do.

They watched as Wong opened a portal, and Natasha saw her living area in the terminus. Without hesitation she walked through, followed immediately by Pepper and then finally Wong, himself.

Vision turned, looking around the empty room and then went to stand by one of the large glass windows, watching the humans below with interest as he waited for Wanda to join him.

OOOOOOOO

They arrived before the others. Wong kept his little group from entering Peter's quarters until they saw the portal appear – just to make sure no one was caught in the portal's energies – which was always a good idea. Safety first, after all. Only when they watched Strange emerge from the portal and close it down on his end did they enter. Romanoff stopped at the living area, aware that there would be a lot of people in Peter's room, and she wasn't needed.

Instead, she looked at Thor, who was looking around the room with very little interest – although Peter's quarters had managed to develop some character and décor now that the boy had lived in them for a while and had collected some items from their various trips and activities.

"Natasha," the god said, noticing her when his gaze swept through the room.

"Thor. You look good."

Of course, she had to admit that he was a good looking guy – if one was into blonde, muscular and chiseled good looks.

"Yes. I know." He set his hammer on the coffee table, not noticing Wong rolling his eyes, or Natasha's smile at his ready agreement of her assessment. "The boy has a fever."

They would have summoned more medical staff, at least – and she hadn't heard the call for them.

"What happened?" Romanoff asked nodding a greeting to Wanda, who was standing at the doorway to Peter's bedroom, but was dividing her attention from the activities in both rooms.

"Peter went looking for Loki," Maximoff said. "Just as we expected."

They had been fairly certain of it, but it was always better to get confirmation before stating anything as fact.

"And has seemingly trapped him in a portal spell," Wong added.

The magician couldn't hide his approval at the solution. Or maybe he just wasn't bothering to try. He had little fear of Thor, after all. They already had one Norse god out of the way, Wong was certain that if push came to shove – figuratively _or_ literally – he and Strange would be able to handle Thor as easily as Peter had neutralized Loki.

"Really?"

Thor's expression was proof that he didn't appreciate the way Wong was gloating, but he nodded.

"It would seem. I saw it happen."

"Did Loki hurt Peter?"

"No. At least, he was standing when I interrupted them, and only collapsed after Loki was gone."

OOOOOO

"Is he alright?" Pepper asked, moving around to the far side of the bed and out of the way as she watched Stephen work on the boy.

"He's fine, Pepper," Tony assured her, moving around to the other side of the bed, as well, to keep from distracting Strange, and because he knew she would need a supporting arm.

The Cloak of Levitation had abandoned Peter's form when Stark had put the boy in the bed, aware that it wouldn't be allowed too close until the fever was under control. It slid itself along Tony's shoulder and seemed to be watching Strange work.

"What happened?"

"We'll have to ask Peter," Stephen told them. With a single thought, Peter's shirt and pants were gone and a towel and small container of water were in the doctor's hands. "Tony? You want to start cooling him off while I check for any injuries?"

"Yeah."

Pepper watched as he took the cloth, wet it thoroughly, and began running it carefully along Peter's face, chest and stomach. The cloak left Tony, as well, and by default ended up on her shoulder, even caressing a corner of fabric against her ear – which tickled and was distracting.

She could see the boy's skin was flushed from fever, but he didn't react to the contact any way that she could see.

"Is he hurt, Stephen?"

She saw a few bruises, but no blood.

"I don't think so, Pepper." Strange was running his hands along Peter's stomach, and seemed satisfied with what he was feeling and seeing – even though she didn't have a clue what he might be looking for. "No swelling, nothing to indicate any internal injures and no bruises to make me think I'm missing anything. A high fever, but that's expected, and we know how to deal with it."

He was getting better at projecting a reassuring manner.

"He's just out, Pepper," Tony assured her, looking over his shoulder at her. "Probably wore himself out fighting Loki."

"Where's Loki?"

"That's a good question," Strange told her. "We'll have to ask Peter when he wakes up."


	19. Chapter 19

He heard a lot of voices, although they seemed very far away most of the time and he couldn't often understand what they were saying.

Sometimes it was the calm, almost naturally reassuring voice of Dr. Strange. Other times, he recognized Natasha's soft, confident voice, and he tried to hear what she was saying, because he knew that it had to have a lesson in the words, but he failed. Most of the time, though, the voices were Pepper and Tony. Sometimes together, mostly separate. Always loving, always soothing. Even without the words, a reminder to him that he wasn't alone, and that someone cared for him very much.

He dreamed a lot, too. Mostly good. The people who loved him marched through his mind in random succession. Sometimes he'd see his mom or his dad, or May. Sometimes all of them. Sometimes they were hanging out with Tony and Pepper – or even with Dr. Strange and Natasha; fishing, camping and even just sitting around and playing cards. Spot playing fetch and a cat that he didn't recognize, but who was cuddled up beside him licking the top of his head for no apparent reason. A few times it was him, Steve and Clint sledding with Bruce or Ned, and even MJ, who looked like she was having fun.

Sometimes the dreams weren't so good. The day they buried his parents. More commonly, May's funeral and all the hurt that had led up to it. Loki's face, smirking at the edges of his mind, telling him that Pepper would be next. Or Tony. Or Natasha. He'd react predictably, and those voices that were with him all the time would be at their most soothing.

He felt fear, too. Not _his_ , though. The void was dark, empty and endless and he felt like he was falling. But again, it wasn't him falling. There was fear that he was trapped forever, unable to get free. Sometimes there was anger, too, to offset that fear, but usually it was just the fear that Peter felt – and he thought maybe he felt the residual of Loki's thoughts in that fear.

He shied away from that when he could. He had enough fear of his own. He didn't want any part of Loki's. He didn't have the energy to deal with it. He was too tired.

A hand was brushing against his cheek; he was pulled from his exhaustion by the sensation that it was leaving in its wake. A cool trail that seemed to be trying to battle the warmth that was always present. No matter who was speaking to him. Or who he was dreaming of, or thinking of at the time.

"Peter?"

Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. Right in his ear, it seemed. He stirred, just enough to turn his head – and felt a wave of exhaustion from even that simple motion.

"Hey… open your eyes, baby."

He did as he was told, and saw Natasha looking at him, her face right up against his, her eyes watching him with that look that she had, sometimes. A look he somehow knew was only for him.

"Natasha…"

Romanoff smiled, her hand on his cheek stilling when she realized that he was awake and not in the throes of a nightmare, or a dream.

"Hi."

"You're back?"

She nodded, realizing he meant the cruise.

"Yeah."

"Was it fun?"

Romanoff smiled.

"It was great. We brought you a souvenir. How do you feel?"

"Okay."

He closed his eyes, though, too tired to keep up the conversation, and knowing that she wouldn't mind if he slept.

"Hey."

Her voice forced his eyes open, again, the hand cupping his cheek helping him to focus when he looked at her.

"Yeah?"

She might have been intending to say something else, but her expression softened.

"I love you."

Peter smiled, his eyes closing.

"I love you, too. I…"

He fell asleep before he could tell her whatever it was that he was going to say, but Romanoff didn't mind. She simply leaned closer and kissed him, gently, and then went to find the others.

OOOOOOOO

She found Stark and Pepper in the lounge, which was where they were spending any time that they weren't with Peter, keeping an eye on his progress. After three days, the brief conversation that she'd just had with him was the most responsive that he'd been since he'd been brought home and put to bed. Everyone was worried, even though Stephen had assured them all that he was fine – he was just wiped out and needed time to recoup.

For a completely different reason, Thor was restless, worried about his brother and what the extended time in the portal would do to him. He admitted that Loki wouldn't starve to death, and could survive without water for several more days if needed, but the absence still had him concerned. Wong had relented enough that he was in the library at the sanctum, looking for a spell that might help locate the Asgardian in the portal, but after two days of research – and some intermittent assistance from Strange – there wasn't any indication of a way to do it.

It was going to be up to Peter, and first he had to wake up.

Tony looked over as Romanoff approached. He knew that she was the one watching Peter just then, so assumed she had something to tell him. He and Pepper both were tired, bolstering each other, but worried about Peter and sleeping only in short naps. Pepper followed his gaze, and Natasha sat down at their table.

"He woke up," she told them. "For a _moment_ , anyway."

"Was he lucid?" Pepper asked.

They'd had a few times when Peter had spoken to them while they sat with him, but he'd been delirious, talking to them, but thinking that they were someone else. He'd had a few nightmares, as well, and had kept asking for them, even when it was one of them who was sitting with him, or holding him.

"He knew it was me, and asked about the cruise."

Tony looked relieved.

"That's a good start."

"He went back to sleep almost immediately, though. I didn't get a chance to talk to him about anything."

"If he woke once, he'll wake again, soon," Tony predicted. "It's just a matter of time, now."

"I'd think so, yes."

"Where's Thor?"

"Steve and Clint took him to the truck stop up the road for a late night meal," Stark replied. "Where's Stephen?"

"Still at the sanctum."

"You didn't call him?"

She shrugged.

"I figured you guys would want to know about Peter. He can check on him when he comes back in the morning. Unless we need him, sooner."

"Is anyone with him, now?"

"I grabbed Nick on my way here and asked him to sit with him until I returned."

Tony looked over at Pepper.

"We could go sit with him for a while," he suggested to her. "If you want?"

"Yes."

Natasha thought that was a good idea. Hopefully, they'd both get a nap at the same time.

"I'll be here," she told them. "If you need me."

"Thanks."

OOOOOOOO

They _did_ sleep. One on either side of Peter, who shifted in his sleep when they joined him in his bed and ended up cuddled against Pepper's side almost immediately. She had drifted off, holding him, and Tony had covered them both with a blanket, since the cloak had gone back to the sanctum with Strange – and wasn't allowed to spend much time with Peter, even though the fever itself was down enough that they weren't worried about the magical relic being close to the boy.

Strange had decided that it was the act of being teleported such an incredible distance – and then partaking in the magical battle with Loki – that was what had Peter so flattened. Rest was the only cure he could think of for it, and waking him with medications – like a shot of adrenaline – was completely out of the question, whether Thor liked it or not.

Which, of course, he didn't.

OOOOOOO

Tony woke when the sleeping form stirred beside him. He looked down and saw that Peter was looking around, sleepily, his head still against Pepper's collarbone, but his eyes alert for the first time in days.

"Hey…"

The boy moved his head, which woke Pepper, too, but his hand didn't leave her side, where he was holding her.

"Hi, Tony." His voice was raspy, and little more than a croak. "Did I sleepwalk?"

Stark smiled; obviously Peter wasn't _quite_ awake and aware, just yet. He brushed his hand against the boy's forehead, checking the fever like he usually did, and shook his head.

"Don't worry about that, just yet, okay?"

"Okay."

"Do you _hurt_ , Peter?" Pepper asked, shifting herself so she had a better angle to look at him, but still could touch him.

She needed the contact more than he did, really.

"No. I'm just tired."

"You _look_ tired," Tony agreed.

"What happened?"

"What do you remember?" Stark countered, unwilling to throw more information at him when he was more asleep than awake, although he wanted to give him a chance to discuss what had occurred if he remembered.

Peter frowned, dropping his head to Pepper's shoulder as if it were just too heavy to hold up.

"I don't know," he admitted. "We went fishing…"

"Yeah."

"And there was a storm… did our ship capsize?"

Pepper smiled and shook her head. Although she was a little concerned about his lack of memory, she also knew he wasn't awake, and might have better luck as his mind caught up with his body, and woke up a bit.

"No, sweetheart."

He closed his eyes, and was silent for long enough that both of them thought that he must have fallen asleep once more. But then he surprised them, almost fifteen minutes later.

"I went after Loki."

He opened his eyes, again, looking at Tony for confirmation.

"Yeah. That's what we're being told."

"Did I win?"

Stark smiled. It probably didn't feel like he did.

"Thor says you made a portal and trapped Loki in it."

"Oh." Another pause, and he seemed to be focused on something internal. Either he was remembering – or maybe the Mind stone was reminding him. Then Peter nodded. "Yeah. I did. It's not really a _win_ , I suppose…"

"Thor's waiting for you to wake up," Pepper said, brushing her fingers through his hair. "So you can bring him out of it."

"What?"

"He wants Loki back," Tony told him.

"No. I'm not going to let him go."


	20. Chapter 20

"What do you mean?" Tony asked.

Peter closed his eyes, ready to go back to sleep.

"I'm not going to let Loki out of the portal," he said. "If he stays where he is, he can't hurt anyone."

It was obvious by the way that his hand came up to rest on Pepper's forearm that he meant her in particular, and Tony couldn't fault him for his reasoning.

"If he stays there, he'll die," Pepper reminded the boy.

"He's a _god_. He said it himself once."

"It doesn't mean he can't die," Stark said. He caught Pepper's eye, and saw the concern in her expression. "We'll discuss it later, okay? How do you feel?"

"Tired."

"Go back to sleep," Pepper suggested.

"You'll stay?"

She nodded, even though he didn't see it, since he hadn't opened his eyes, again.

"Yes."

Peter didn't argue. He was too tired to even say that he wasn't tired. Instead, he sighed, softly, shifted a little when Pepper put her arms around him and was still.

"Think he's serious?" she asked, softly.

"He sounded like he was," Tony replied. "But I doubt he's has a lot of time to think it through, though."

"He can't leave Loki in the portal."

"Peter's right, though. He's completely neutralized any threat Loki has presented in one quick action."

"You sound like you _agree_ with him."

"He tried to drop a _tree_ on you, Pepper," Stark pointed out, reasonably - and just a little annoyed. He didn't like Loki, at all, and sort of did agree with Peter. "He's been screwing with Peter's head – _and_ he's already proven he's willing to try to kill _him_ , remember?"

"That doesn't make it right to let him die."

Stark scowled. He agreed – to a _point_ – but he definitely could see the advantage to leaving Loki where he was.

"We'll talk about it later," he repeated, looking down to make sure their discussion hadn't disturbed the sleeping boy.

He didn't need to worry. Peter was asleep and oblivious to the concern he had just caused.

"Fine."

Pepper closed her eyes, too. She was tired and if Peter was going to sleep, she was going to take advantage of the chance to get more rest, also.

"I'm going to go see about ordering breakfast for when he wakes up."

She nodded, and he leaned over the sleeping boy to kiss her, gently, completely in love with the vision of her holding him in her arms so protectively.

"I love you, Pepper Potts."

She smiled, opening her eyes and reaching her hand up to cup his cheek.

"I love you, too. And I want French toast."

"You're a cruel woman."

She nodded, and closed her eyes, again.

"He can have oatmeal."

OOOOOOOO

Natasha was in the lounge when Stark walked in. She wasn't alone, though. Steve Rogers and Stephen Strange were both sitting at the table with her.

"Where's Thor?" Tony asked, curiously.

"He went for a walk," Rogers answered. "I think he's getting restless, hanging out here, waiting for Peter to wake up."

"You think he's restless, now," Tony said, shaking his head. "Give it a few hours…"

"What do you mean, Tony?" Strange asked. "Natasha told us Peter woke up and talked to her for a moment."

"Oh, he woke _again_ ," Stark said. "He just told me and Pepper that he has no intention of letting Loki go."

"What? He can't keep him in the portal."

" _He_ seems to think that he can."

"Can he?" Natasha asked Strange.

"I suppose he could. The portal probably won't collapse on its own if there is a person in it. But Loki would die. Even an Asgardian wouldn't survive indefinitely."

"Peter doesn't seem that concerned about the possibility. He thinks that leaving him there negates the threat to Pepper – and he's _not_ wrong."

"Peter isn't a killer," Steve said.

"But he loves _Pepper_ ," Tony said, shrugging. "And so do _I_ , for that matter. How do we know Loki wouldn't make a move on her the minute he gets out – or recovers from being trapped?"

"We _don't_ ," Steve admitted. "Even if he promised not to, it'd be insane to believe him."

"Which means the only way to guarantee she's safe is to keep Loki away from her – and the best way to do it is with Peter's portal."

"He can't do that, Tony," Strange said, again.

"Why not?"

"That would be murder."

"Yeah." That was definitely the rub to an otherwise perfect solution for the problem that was Loki. "He went back to sleep, but I'm going to talk to him about it, again, once he wakes up. I'll see if we can talk some sense into him."

"Thor won't like the delay," Natasha said.

"Can't be helped," Strange said. "Arguments aside, Peter's in no shape to create a portal right now. If he tries and fails, it might create a catastrophic failure in the portal Loki's in – and then it _would_ be the end of the Loki threat."

"And you'll explain that to Thor?" Stark asked.

"Yes. I'll want to check on Peter once he wakes up again, also. We're definitely going to want to get a meal into him."

Strange had hooked an IV to him to keep him hydrated – especially while the fever had had the upper hand – but he would need to regain some energy, and that meant real food. Something with sustenance.

OOOOOOOO

"I do not like the delay," Thor said, less than an hour later.

Now it was Natasha and Strange in the lounge, and this time Thor had joined them. Steve had left to discuss their day with Clint – and to let him know that Peter was awake, somewhat, and what was going on with the newest development. Tony had returned to Pepper's side.

"Better that we wait and are certain Peter's up to the task," Strange told him. "If we don't, your brother could be lost, permanently."

"When he is, you will need to transport him to Asgard," the god reminded him. "If the Bifrost will kill him, your method will be the one of choice. I do not want Loki damaged more than he already may be."

"How long can a person survive in a portal?" Natasha asked. "Loki, more specifically."

The doctor shrugged, looking at Thor.

"You _eat_ , of course."

"Of course. And not just for the pleasure of eating." He imitated Strange's shrug. "If the boy is already awake, then he shouldn't be long in recovering enough to produce the spell that will free Loki. My brother will be fine for a few more hours – more, if needed."

Romanoff had a feeling that _more, if needed_ , part was going to come into play. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Peter about freeing Loki, but from what all she had heard, his decision wasn't off the cuff. Maybe Peter had been goaded into going after the god of mischief and had been in the throes of a panic attack while doing it, but she had a feeling that the Mind stone had taken control and knew exactly what could be done to contain the threat of the Asgardian, permanently.

"We'll see what I find out when he wakes, next," Stephen said, temporizing.

"And warn him against releasing him _here_ ," Thor reminded him.

"I will."

They probably didn't need to worry about that, though, did they?


	21. Chapter 21

It was the smell of a hamburger that woke him, next. He stirred, opening his eyes and looking around without doing any more than simply lifting his head. Pepper was on his bed beside him, a tray over her lap. That was where the mouthwatering smell was coming from. Peter saw a burger and French fries on her plate, even though she set it aside when she noticed he was awake.

"Awake again," she said, softly.

"Yeah."

"How do you feel, Peter?"

Tony's voice coming from the other side had him turning a little more, so he could look over his shoulder.

"I'm okay."

"We're going to feed you," Stark told him. "Then Stephen's going to check you out."

"Okay."

"Are you hungry?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah. Please."

They'd hoped that he would have woken sooner, but Strange hadn't pressed the issue, advising that if he slept through breakfast and lunch they could wake him to make sure he had dinner. Pepper hadn't wanted to leave him, so she'd brought her laptop to his bed and spent the morning, and then the afternoon, sitting beside him in the bed, simply keeping him company so he'd know he wasn't alone – even while asleep.

Tony had joined her with a late lunch, bringing a tray with enough food for three – although Peter didn't make any indication that he was ready to wake when Stark settled the tray on Pepper's lap, and had then taken the spot on the other side of Peter. They were both watching him carefully when he sat up, then, and although he looked tired, he wasn't showing any sign of weakness. No shaking, or trembling, and he was holding himself upright instead of leaning one direction or the other. No fever, either, proving that they had nipped that before it became a problem. Even better, his expression was far more alert than it had been during their last conversation.

"Burger?" Pepper asked, pulling a loaded plate off the tray and setting it on his lap.

A cheeseburger made the way they knew he liked it, along with a pile of fries.

"Thanks, Pepper."

He was hungry and it was delicious, and vanished fairly quickly. While he was eating, Tony sent a heads up that Peter was awake, and by the time the boy finished helping Pepper and Tony eat their fries, too, Stephen Strange walked through the bedroom door.

The doctor crossed the room and the empty plates and the tray all were suddenly stacked on the top of Peter's dresser, out of the way. Tony got off the bed, moving to allow Strange that side so he could have access to the boy. He motioned Peter to sit on the edge of his bed, and watched, pleased that he didn't seem to be too sore – only a little stiff, and probably just from being in bed for so long. That would work itself out without much assistance from anyone.

"How do you feel?" Strange asked, feeling Peter's forehead, and then taking his pulse, watching his expression for any sign of discomfort.

"I'm okay."

"Do you remember what happened?"

He hesitated.

"I think I had a panic attack," he admitted, as if he was embarrassed that he hadn't been able to control it. "I woke up and I thought Loki was after Pepper. And Ned – and MJ? I'm not… I don't _really_ remember, but I know he was angry and trying to get even with me, and I was scared."

"You felt him?" Strange asked.

"I don't know," Peter told him. "I thought so – at least I think I thought so at the time. But now I'm not sure. I don't really remember too much of that."

"Then what happened?" Stephen asked, willing to let that part slide to hear the rest of the story.

Peter's memories of the events were fairly fragmented, but he tried to tell the three of them what had happened as well as he could without confusing them any more than he had to. When Strange told him that he'd gone to Asgard, he'd simply shrugged, uncertainly.

"How did you feel when you landed?"

"Tired. But then Loki was there, and he started throwing spells and I did, too. He threw something really big that I couldn't dodge, and then Thor was there and there was lightening all over, and it was two against one – but I didn't want to hurt Thor, so I caught Loki in a portal to avoid being caught between the two of them."

"You would have taken on Thor?" Stark asked.

Peter flushed.

"Maybe. He looked pretty angry, so I didn't think I'd have a choice. He'd already sent lightening – at least I think he did – but then it gets black and next thing I remember I was here."

"He's _here_ ," Strange said.

"Thor?"

"Yes. He's been waiting for you to wake up. He wants Loki released from the portal – and Wong and I can't do it, since neither of us created it."

"No." The boy shook his head, looking distraught at telling any of them no when he knew it was wrong to, but the stubborn set of his jaw making it clear that he was serious. "He tried to kill Pepper."

"Peter…"

"He wants to hurt everybody that I love," Peter reminded Strange – and Pepper and Tony, looking at each of them, one at a time. "And he _will_. If he has the chance. But now he _can't_. I won't let him go and give him that chance, either."

"We have protections on-"

"They didn't stop him from trying to drop a _tree_ on us," Peter interrupted. "I know it was _him_. The Mind stone showed me and-"

"Loki will _die_ if you don't let him out," Stephen told him, interrupting.

The doctor's expression was sympathetic as he trapped the boy's gaze. He knew what Peter was saying, and what he was trying to do. But he was also very much aware of the fact that Peter was young, and wasn't a killer – and he didn't want him to become one.

"And if I let him out and he _kills_ someone?" Peter asked. "Then it's on me. Everyone that he kills from that moment on would be on me. Because I've got him stopped right now. He can't hurt anyone."

Tony recognized the words, and knew that conversation by heart. He had to agree that Peter was right about one thing, at least. Loki wasn't a threat just then. He could also understand what he meant by being responsible. Peter was probably certain that Loki was going to retaliate, and that it was safer to keep him where he was and not allow it.

"No," Pepper said, speaking up before the two men could. She'd been watching silently, not wanting Peter to think that they were ganging up on him, trying to make him do what they wanted, but she couldn't let him think that. "It would still be on _him_. You're not responsible for what anyone else does."

Peter turned to her.

"I won't let him hurt you."

Again there was that stubborn set to his jaw that told all three of them that he wasn't willing to back down – or to be backed down. He truly believed that he was making the right call, and was trying to make them see it, as well.

"If Loki stays in the portal, he'll die," Strange said, again – again catching Peter's eyes in his ultra-intense gaze. "You'll be responsible for his death."

"I don't _care_."

"I don't believe you. You would care."

Peter looked away first. He looked at the hands that he had folded in his lap.

"And if he goes after Natasha?" he asked, pointedly, looking up at the doctor. "He hates you, too, you know? She's a target, just like Pepper is – or she _would_ be if he knew that you love her."

"None of them are targets for Loki, Peter," Tony told him, moving over to stand beside Strange. "You're his only target. He wanted to get you out in the open so he could kill _you_. Not because he hates you – because I doubt he does, really – but because he hates us. The Avengers. And Strange and Wong. We made him look like an idiot the last time we caught him, and from what Wanda tells us, he was trying to get to you because hurting _you_ would be the easiest way to hurt the rest of us."

"Do you want me to let him go?" Peter asked him, directly.

Tony hesitated at the question. He couldn't help himself. He wanted to immediately say yes, because that was the right thing to do, but he honestly didn't think that it was the right thing to do, and he didn't like the idea of Peter being Loki's target any more than he would like Pepper being the target.

"No," he said, before he could censor himself. "I think he deserves to rot in that portal for however long the rest of his miserable life would be. He'd deserve it for trying to hurt you – and he deserves it for what happened in New York, for that matter."

Pepper and Strange both frowned, realizing that if Tony backed Peter in this conflict, there would be little chance of swaying Peter's decision. Before either could say anything, though, Stark held up a hand.

"But Stephen is right. As it stands right now, if you do nothing and Loki dies, that's on you. And I don't want you to become anything like him."

"I wouldn't."

"It's a slippery slope," Tony said. "What happens the next time you're out on the street and see someone trying to mug someone? They're trying to hurt someone, too. Do you kill them?"

"No. I stop them with webbing, or something."

"Or you decide that they deserve it, and you drop them off a building or something."

"I wouldn't do that," Peter said, looking aghast. "Why are you on Loki's side, Tony?" he asked, obviously confused and frustrated. "He's-"

"I'm not," Stark interrupted. "I'm on your side, Peter. I'll _always_ be on your side. But I promised the judge that I would take care of you. I promised _May_ that I'd take care of you, remember? Standing by and not saying anything, letting you do something that is so far out of your nature… I have to want you to let him go, because even though he'd be the one that died, I think you'd be the one who suffered from it."

His jaw clenched, his face set, Peter was so tense that Strange expected him to simply combust from the inside out. Instead, he held Tony's gaze for a long time. A full two minutes, which felt like a lifetime. Finally, he looked away.

"I'll think about it."

Stark nodded.

"That's all I can ask you to do." He stepped forward, resting his hand on the boy's head. "Just never forget that I love you. Okay?"

Peter closed his eyes and leaned forward, against him, and Tony put his arms around him.

"I won't."


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: Very sorry about the silence coming from my end. I assure you all that I'm still here, but had my sister's birthday to deal with, and family to spend time with and life stuff to take care of. The rest of my weekend looks pretty good, though!_

OOOOO

"That went better than I expected," Strange said a few minutes later as he and Tony were walking from Peter's quarters toward the lounge. "I thought that he might walk out on us for a minute there."

"He's scared," Stark replied. "I understand where he's coming from on this thing."

"I do, too, Tony. His argument is completely valid. We're going to have to figure out a deterrent for Loki, because if I help talk Peter into releasing him, and then something happened to one of the others, he'd be well within his rights to hold that against me."

"Only he _wouldn't_ ," Tony pointed out. "He'd blame himself – since it's ultimately his decision whether Loki gets freed or not."

"And doesn't he just know it?" Strange said, shaking his head. "I didn't realize how stubborn he can be."

"Yeah. He's pretty laid back most of the time – but when it's something he feels strongly about, he's not afraid to make his mind known, is he?"

Stark didn't mind that, though. He'd rather the boy had his own opinions than blindly follow along with what he was told. Even when it put him at odds with the rest of them, like this topic most certainly did.

"It'll serve him well when he's older," the doctor said. "Even if it is an inconvenience, now."

"I'd prefer if you don't let Thor know what's going on with him," Stark said. "Peter's not up to going anywhere just yet, right?"

"Right."

"Then we use that to explain the hold up on getting Loki back, if you're on board. The last thing I really want is the god of thunder running around my compound tossing lightning bolts and throwing a tantrum. Or deciding that he should talk to Peter, personally."

"I understand. I'm fine with that."

Not that either really expected that to happen, but one never knew, really.

OOOOOOOO

Peter had been told to go back to sleep. After a big meal, he was ready to do just that, and while Tony had left with Strange, Pepper had told them all that she was comfortable and didn't feel like doing any more than just sitting around the rest of the day. She'd pointed out that if anyone needed her, they knew where to find her. Besides, she told them, she was tired, too. She'd been up with Peter for the last few days, after all, and was ready for some quiet time.

She left the room long enough to go get some of the papers from work that she could do with her laptop – giving Stephen a chance to take another look at Peter's vitals – just to make sure there weren't going to be any surprises. He'd pulled the IV once the fever had broken, and since he was awake and eating solid food on his own there wasn't any concern about the boy losing any more weight.

It was just a matter of letting him sleep off his exhaustion, now, and as far as all of them were concerned, it was a good idea to have someone with him in the bed – or at least in the room. Just in case his troubled thoughts about Loki's predicament seeped into his subconscious and caused bad dreams or sleepwalking.

She'd settled beside him once he was comfortable in his bed once more, and Peter had his head on a pillow close to her side, watching as she pulled her laptop over and opened it, clearly willing to stay and keep him company. He was tired, and warm and comfortable, but he wasn't quite ready to close his eyes and sleep.

"Are you mad at me, Pepper?" he asked, softly, looking up at her.

Clearly surprised at the question, she turned her attention from her laptop, and brushed her fingers against his cheek. Her touch was as loving as always, and her expression equally so.

"No, sweetheart. You didn't ask for any of this, right?"

"No. But I probably could have handled it better."

"Maybe," she acknowledged. She wouldn't allow him to dwell on that, though. He was young enough to be uncertain most of the time, and didn't have the experiences that time would bring – although this wasn't a situation anyone could have really foreseen. "But it's not something you could have anticipated. _We_ certainly didn't."

"I'm sorry I'm causing so much trouble for you guys."

"I know, Peter," she brushed her hand along his temple, and he closed his eyes, her touch soothing and working to redirect his anxiety. "Go back to sleep, okay? It'll seem less terrible when you're feeling better."

He nodded, his hand moving to press against her side, which was the closest part of her that he could touch. Obviously he needed the reassurance the contact provided him.

"I don't want Loki to die," he whispered, not opening his eyes.

"I know."

"But I don't want him to hurt anyone."

"Go to sleep, Peter," Pepper said. "It's okay. I promise."

He did what he was told, and was asleep in a matter of minutes. Pepper kept caressing him, though, more than willing to do whatever she could to keep him from fretting – even in his sleep.

OOOOOOOO

"How long before Peter will be able to reopen the portal Loki is trapped in?"

Strange shrugged.

"Another 24 hours, at least."

"That long?"

"Maybe _more_. He can't open it here, so he's going to have to be able to handle the move – which he couldn't, right now."

"Are you taking him back to Asgard, then?" Natasha asked, curiously.

Stark frowned.

"We don't need to go so far, really, do we?" He didn't like the idea of having Peter off the planet, again. Even though there was nothing about Asgard that had actually injured him – it had been getting there by teleportation rock and the fight with Loki that had flattened him. Although the fever had been from residual magic in the place, itself, and that was always worrisome. "Couldn't we just take Peter to Arizona or someplace out of the protection area, have him spit Loki out of the portal there and then Thor can take him home?"

"A portal to Asgard won't do Peter any more harm than one to Arizona," Strange assured Tony. "I'd rather have him off the planet completely when he emerges."

"If he needs any assistance, he should be close to home," Thor said. "Where we can assist him."

"And if he comes out spells blazing, looking for a fight?"

"I will contain him," Thor assured them all. "He will cause you no more trouble."

Natasha didn't look convinced, but then that wasn't a surprise. None of them did. Not that they doubted Thor's abilities, of course, but Loki was called the trickster god for a reason – and Tony, Natasha and Steve had all been in New York the day that Loki had literally stabbed Thor, who had been trying to reason with him.

"We can discuss it later," Stark said, with a shrug. "Stephen will check on Peter when he wakes up, again. We'll get a better idea of how he's doing, then."

And if he was going to refuse to let Loki go. Which would drive home a whole list of new problems and conversations, of course.


	23. Chapter 23

_The fear was almost nonstop, now. Reinforcing it was hopelessness and occasionally bursts of anger. Never at the same time, but always there. He stirred in his sleep as a wave of despair overtook him and caused him to tremble. He was never going to escape. Everything he had tried had failed. None of the many spells he commanded, not even trying to project his thoughts to another place and follow his mind with his body. No one could hear him yelling – and he'd even tried calling for help, which was absolutely the last resort._

 _Hands touched him. Voices were soft in his ear, but he was caught up in the fear and despair as firmly and unequivocally as if it were his own, and he struggled, trying to get loose from the trap that he found himself in so abruptly._

" _Stop!"_

 _His fear crested into a panic attack, and he started to move. He had to get up. Had to go find someplace safe. Had to escape the darkness that was surrounding him, keeping him pinned to one spot. Holding him tightly. He couldn't breathe, the pressure was so tight and the fear had him paralyzed. He felt the stone in hand and clenched his fist tightly around it._

 _Where?_

 _Hands grabbing his own before his mind could force through the chaos to form a vision of a safe place. A sanctuary. A place to hide._

" _Peter," the voice was in his ear, but seemed to be at the same time a million miles away. "Don't you dare leave me." It was filled with love and concern, and was immediately followed by a weight of heavy fabric covering him and a tender crooning in his mind, wordlessly singing a lullaby. "Stay with me, okay? You're safe right here. No one is going to hurt you."_

" _Release me…"_

 _It didn't seem to be his own voice, but it echoed through his head, summoned by his connection to the infinity stone that was always close at hand, it seemed._

" _No."_

 _Peter struggled against the bonds that held him, against the fabric that was wrapped around him as tightly as the metal clad arms were, and cried, trying to be free. The darkness was overwhelming. The despair weighing him down like a building dropping on him. Smothering him under unimaginable debris._

" _Hold him, Tony…"_

 _The words were calm compared to the upheaval in his mind. He felt a poke – a moment of pain – and then a moment later darkness and lassitude overwhelmed the fear and he felt nothing, once more._

"Do you have him?"

Stark looked down at the boy, wrapped firmly in the Cloak of Levitation and his own arms.

"Yeah. Are you okay?"

"Just an elbow to the face," Strange told him, touching his cheek, gingerly. "It isn't the first time."

"No."

The nightmare must have been a doozy. Pepper had suddenly found Peter restless and tense, and had had Karen notify Tony – through Friday. Stark had already been on his way to check on them, and to see if she needed a break, so he'd arrived before Peter's panic attack was fully developed and before he started thrashing in his sleep, telling them to let him go and that he needed to get free.

Pepper had moved off the bed, entirely, watching as Tony activated his suit to hold Peter while trying to talk him down from the nightmare. Not surprisingly – but still worrisome – the teleportation stone had made an almost immediate appearance, and Tony had managed to wrestle it from Peter's grip before he'd vanished anywhere.

At almost the same moment, as if it had been summoned by the same thought that had called the rock, the Cloak of Levitation arrived in the bedroom and had draped itself over Peter and Tony, both, and had wrapped Peter's hands, forcing them into a tightly closed fist – which kept him from being able to grab the stone that kept trying to force itself through the heavy fabric of the ancient relic and into Peter's hands.

Strange had followed, along with Natasha, and when it became obvious that the fear was getting the upper hand, a syringe had appeared in the doctor's hand and he'd ended the nightmare with a single injection.

"We'll put some ice on it," Natasha said. She looked at Pepper, who had moved back to the bed, leaning over to make sure neither Peter or Tony had taken any harm from the impromptu wrestling match. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." She wasn't any match for Peter when he was trapped in the panic attacks, and was well aware of it. Many times she could talk him down from them before they actually _began_ – and she'd tried, but it had been a bad one, and had come on suddenly. "Is he alright, Stephen?"

"He's fine, Pepper. The shot I gave him was just a sedative, and he'll burn through it fairly quickly. By morning, he'll be awake and none the worse for what happened."

Natasha bent over and picked up the teleportation stone from the floor where it had fallen.

"You guys have him?" she asked Tony and Pepper, knowing that they'd want to stay with Peter.

"We're good," Stark assured her. "Thanks."

She nodded and left, not needing to tell them to call if they needed her. They already knew. Strange fell into step beside her, but the cloak didn't go, which told Romanoff that the good doctor was planning on staying at the compound that evening. Which was fine with her.

"Well, that was an adventure," Strange said as they closed the door to Peter's quarters behind them. "He hasn't had a panic attack that bad in a long time."

He knew. Even though he wasn't officially on the books as one of the compound doctors, nothing happened with Peter that he wasn't aware of – which included nightmares and sleepwalking. It helped that he had Natasha, who was almost as intimate with Peter as she was with himself. She was always aware of what was going on with the boy, and willing to share that information with him.

"No question where this one came from, though, is there?" she mused, looking down at the stone in her hand.

"No." He winced as he touched his rapidly swelling cheek. "The sooner we get this Loki matter settled, the better."

For everyone involved.

OOOOOOOO

Thor frowned, looking at the rock in his hand.

"I do not understand," he admitted. "The stone calls the boy? Or the boy summons the stone and then the stone tells him where they are going?"

" _Peter_ ," Natasha said, her tone reproving as she emphasized the name to remind the Asgardian that he was talking about someone she cared about. "Calls the stone to him when he wants to go somewhere. From what he told me, it will ask him where he wants to go, and then it takes him there."

"This is how he reached Asgard?"

"He didn't mention making a portal," Strange said. "And he doesn't teleport himself the way Wong and I do."

The doctor was sitting at the table with Thor, Natasha, Steve and Clint, and was holding an icepack against his cheek while Romanoff told the others what had happened. Since Thor had been sitting with them, he had listened, as well, with interest.

"But Peter isn't a wizard," the god of thunder pointed out. "How does he do these things – and why would a powerful magical relic even _care_ what he wants, or where he wants to go?"

"He has a special connection with all things magical," Strange said, ignoring the word wizard, since he knew it wasn't intended as an insult. "He feels them, somehow, and they tend to react to that."

"But _he_ isn't a wizard, correct?"

"Right."

"I saw him do your magic," Thor told the doctor. "He was right in front of me when the portal opened and captured Loki. It was very similar to the time we met."

"That's another story," Natasha said. "For another day, I think. But he connects with the Mind stone, Thor, and through it, he has the memories of anyone that it chooses to share with him."

"What do you mean? What does the Mind stone have to do with anything?"

"If _I_ know how to make a portal, it can show Peter how," Strange said. "And then _Peter_ can make a portal."

"Or he could bake a _cake_ ," Clint said, looking at Natasha, and just realizing it. "Why doesn't it catch the mind of one of those high-end chefs and help him make us a fancy dinner some time?"

"That would be amazing," Steve said, looking hopefully at Natasha, as well. "Something with salmon? And potatoes?"

She rolled her eyes at both of them, but Stephen shook his head.

"You _do_ remember that he and Tony burned down the cooking school, right? Do you really want to turn him loose in the kitchen at the compound?"

"Good point."

"Cooking school?" Thor asked, still confused.

Natasha smiled.


	24. Chapter 24

It was late morning when the sedative finally cleared his system enough to allow Peter to wake.

He did so slowly. His head aching even when he was lying still, which told him that it would really hurt if he started moving around. He opened his eyes, looking around without moving his head, although his hand shifted, which made the body that he was resting against stir.

A hand came up, the palm resting against his cheek, gently, as if aware that he wasn't feeling very good just then.

"Hi, Baby…"

He tilted his head up just enough to look up at her.

"Hi, Natasha."

A glance around the room – again without moving any more than necessary – told him that it was still his room, but he knew something bad had happened. He remembered a lot of fear and bad dreams. When he'd fallen asleep it had been Pepper holding him, and he was suddenly worried that he'd done something awful.

"How do you feel?"

"Is Pepper okay?"

"Yeah. She's fine. She and Tony stayed with you last night, and they just needed to stretch their legs a little. I told them that I'd stay with you while they were gone."

"Did I hurt anyone?"

"No. Well, _Stephen_ – but that was just an elbow to the cheek. He's fine."

"What happened?"

"You had a panic attack. Do you remember anything?"

"A lot of darkness, and being afraid – and really mad." He closed his eyes, pressing against her collarbone, but now he was seeking comfort for a different reason. "I think it was Loki, though. Not me."

"Mad, huh?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "What do I do, Natasha?" Peter asked her, his arms coming around her in response to her tightening her hold on him. "If I let him go, he'll come after you guys – because of what I did. If I don't, though, they say he'll die."

"He's come after us before, Peter," she reminded him. "And even this time, he wasn't after you because of anything _you_ did. He was trying to hurt you to hurt us. The only thing that changes because of this whole thing is that he probably knows better than to try to take you on, directly, now."

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"So you think I should let him go, too?"

"There's really no choice," she told him, brushing her fingers through his hair. "You said it, yourself. If you don't let him out of the portal, he'll die. Can't have that hanging over you, you know?"

"I don't want him to hurt anyone else, though."

"I know, Baby, but that isn't your call. You can't put our safety on your shoulders, alone. We know Loki's a threat – he has been since New York, if not earlier. We can handle him." She smiled. "That's what superheroes do, right? They fight the bad guys."

He nodded. She wasn't telling him what to do, of course, but she was very matter of fact when it came to telling him right from wrong and he knew that she wasn't going to hedge – even when talking to him. It was how she was, and one of the reasons that he knew he'd always be able to trust her. She was right, too. He couldn't have Loki's death hanging over him. He had enough to worry about with being a teenager and trying to live with the responsibilities that he already felt weighed down by. Especially if the memories that came with it were going to haunt him at night.

"Yeah."

"Has anyone told you, yet, that you can't let him out here?"

"I wouldn't want to."

He closed his eyes, feeling relieved that he'd made his decision, and that was allowing him to relax enough that he was almost willing to go back to sleep – although the idea of tracking down something to eat had a lot of merit, too.

"I don't mean here at the compound," Romanoff said with a smile. "I mean pretty much anywhere on Earth."

"What?"

"Stephen and Wong set up a protection spell,'' she told him. "Back when he came after you before. It's growing as it absorbs thermal energy and does something blah blah blah wizardy – he explained it to Thor, but I wasn't paying that much attention to what he was saying beyond the fact that he said if Loki pops out of a portal on the inside of this protective spell, it'll turn him inside out."

"Literally?"

"Yeah. So, no surprises, okay?" She brushed his cheek. "I do _not_ want to be covered in Asgard guts."

"Me, either. What's the plan, then?"

"Most likely, you'll go to Asgard and let him out there – where his brother will immediately take control of things and hopefully keep him on a tight rein from here on out."

"And if he _doesn't_?"

She smiled.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then trust me on this one. We have a plan to make sure that Loki doesn't bother us again. I just need to talk to a couple more people."

"Can I help?"

"You already did. Leave the rest of it up to me. I'm a lot more intimidating than you are."

True.

"Okay."

"Are you going to go back to sleep?"

"Is it okay?"

"We want you rested, so I'd think so, yes."

"Will you stay with me?"

"Of course."

He settled back in, sleepiness winning over the idea of eating, and she relaxed as well, knowing that if she was tense, it would take longer for him to fall asleep. Instead, her hand stayed on the back of his head, and she gently brushed her fingers through his hair, caressing and soothing him.

It wasn't long before he went still beside her, his grip on her loosening as he drifted off. Romanoff waited until he was asleep, and then touched her communicator, letting Stark know that he'd been awake, and went back to sleep, but that they could start figuring out what would be needed to get Peter where he needed to be to free Loki.

OOOOOOOO

"Well, that's a relief…"

Strange nodded his agreement, tossing his cards into the discard pile.

"I wasn't too concerned. I knew he'd make the right decision."

Stark raised an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah? Because you really kind of _looked_ concerned there for a while."

"Tony, the kid wouldn't kill a _fish_. There was no doubt in my mind he'd hesitate when it came to allowing a person to die."

"The fish never threatened Pepper. Or beat him up."

"It would still have been very surprising if he had allowed himself to go through with it. Letting Natasha have a chance at him was a good idea."

"Yeah. I come up with them every now and then." Stark shuffled the cards. "So what's the plan, then? Do we take him to Asgard? Or to Arizona?"

"Better safe than sorry. I would suggest Asgard – simply to make sure if Loki needs any medical assistance he emerges in a place where they will know how to deal with him."

"You're a doctor."

"I'm not _his_ doctor – and I _won't_ be," Strange said, firmly. "My altruism only goes so far."

"But you'll be with us, right?"

"Yes. Both Wong and I will be. Just in case Loki comes out with the idea that he can strike back while Peter's otherwise occupied."

"Pepper wants to go, as well. I know Natasha plans to be there – although she didn't tell me why – and Wanda might be a good addition just in case Peter needs a liaison with the Mind stone to make the portal come back."

"Quite a guest list."

"Yeah. I'm going to go find Thor and run it by him."

"Good idea. Then you should get some sleep. You look tired."

Pepper was much more sensible. She was already napping.

"At least I don't look like I got beat up."

Strange rolled his eyes, but he couldn't argue that one. His cheek was swollen where Peter had elbowed him, and the eye had turned a beautiful mixture of black and blue.

"That could be arranged."

Stark just smiled.


	25. Chapter 25

They gave Peter 24 hours to recover once he woke up before they were willing to let him move much further than his quarters.

Thor chafed at the delay, but he didn't have much say in things, really. Besides, when Strange and Stark both pointed out that if Peter failed because of fatigue or something else that could have been avoided with some extra rest, Loki's portal could have a catastrophic failure in the reforming, he had to admit that a delay would be better than such an outcome.

He wasn't happy with the long list of people who were going to accompany him to Asgard, either. If he had his way, it would have just been him and Peter – and then Peter could have been sent home via a portal if he couldn't handle the Bifrost – or by use of the teleportation stone. Stark vetoed that idea immediately – to no one's surprise. Peter had made one solo trip to Asgard, and Tony wasn't about to let him take another. Peter would have company, or he wouldn't go at all, and they could take their chances releasing Loki in the deserts of Arizona and hope that the protections hadn't grown that far, yet.

Thor hadn't been amused at the ultimatum, but he knew two things. Stark was absolutely serous, and that if he had to take anyone to Asgard with him, the Avengers were probably as safe a group as anyone. They were as close to being friends as he had, really. He'd backed down with very little complaint, and had been given the rest of the list of people that were going as well, and a sound reason behind each one's inclusion.

The only one that didn't really have a valid reasoning behind going was Pepper, and she flat out refused to allow Peter to go anywhere unless she was with him.

Yes, Tony would be there and of course she trusted him with Peter's safety, but she wasn't going to sit back on the sidelines this time and wait to see how things went. She was well aware that with the amount of 'gifted' people going, she wasn't going to be in the way and there was very little chance of her being injured. They weren't going to some dead world with a hostile environment, after all. She didn't have to be a superhero to survive there.

Thor had simply thrown up his hands and told Stark to invite the entire planet if he wanted to, he just wanted Loki back in one piece.

OOOOOOO

When Peter had made his first appearance in the lounge for dinner the evening before they were planning on going back to Asgard, even the god of thunder had to admit that waiting was probably a good idea. The boy was pale and a bit wobbly as he walked into the room, with Stark on one side of him and Stephen Strange on the other. They walked him over to the tables that had been pushed together in the corner and Peter had nodded an awkward hello to Thor who was seated between Natasha and Steve.

"It is good to see you on your feet," Thor told him, sincerely.

"Thanks."

It was obvious, though, that he was grateful to get off of them. He sat down next to Pepper and Peter nodded when Stark asked if he wanted something to drink.

"I heard about your aunt," Thor added. "You have my condolences. She seemed a remarkable woman."

Peter swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. It wasn't every day that Thor told you how great someone you loved was, after all.

"She was," he agreed, feeling Pepper's hand slide along his back in silent support. "Thank you."

"How do you feel, Peter?" Clint asked.

He and Steve were going to Asgard, as well. Not because they didn't trust Thor – because they _all_ did, really – but because if Nat got to go, then they wanted to go. Who _wouldn't_ want to? And they could justify their inclusion by saying that Peter might need all the support that he could get.

"I'm good," the boy assured him.

"You _look_ better," Steve said, approvingly, as Strange sat down beside Natasha and Stark brought over a cup of coffee for himself and the doctor and handed Peter a cola before settling into the space on the other side of the boy.

Thor couldn't help but wonder at the display in front of him and if they had done it on purpose for his benefit. Peter was a simple seeming boy. Fairly scrawny and young, unassuming and _puny_ , really. Yet he had been escorted into the room by two of the most powerful men Thor had ever met. They had flanked him, placing the boy in between them, protectively, and had then seated him at the table with the Avengers as if it were the most natural thing, to allow the child a place among them. He studied the boy, knowing that there was much more to him than he appeared, but still unable to believe that Peter had managed to take down someone as powerful as his brother in mere moments.

Obviously, he would bear watching as he matured and grew into whatever it was Fate had in store for him.

"What's the plan for tomorrow, Stephen?" Stark asked, now that everyone involved was assembled except Wanda, who didn't need to be there just then. She could pull the plan from their minds when she arrived the next morning, after all.

"We'll go after breakfast," Strange said, looking over at Thor to make sure he was all right with that. It was his home they were invading, after all.

The Asgardian nodded.

"You will create a portal? Or do we all take the teleporting stone?"

"No. A portal will make more sense with the size of the group we are taking. We just walk through that way. As Peter knows, there are some serious side-effects to using the teleportation stone such a long distance. Once we know for sure that he's good to go, Wanda will help him by connecting with the Mind stone – in case he needs it - and Loki should emerge."

What condition he would be in was anyone's guess – and one of the reasons that so many people were going to accompany Peter when he restored the god of mischief. If Loki came out spells at the ready, Wong and Strange would be there as a magical deterrent – against Loki, and even _Thor_ if it came to that. The others were there to protect Peter from anyone else – again, if it came to that point. They weren't expecting trouble.

But it never hurt to be ready if it came knocking.

"Very well."

"We'll stay long enough to make sure you don't need us, and then we'll leave the same way we came."

"I'd like a tour of the place before we go, though," Natasha said, looking at Thor, pointedly. "How often does someone get to visit a place of legend like that?"

If the Asgardian disapproved of that, he did a good job of hiding it. He simply nodded, taking a drink of the wine that he'd been given by the bartender earlier.

"Of course."

Dinner arrived, then, and the conversation turned from what was coming the next day to the more mundane. At least, as mundane as a conversation could be when the group consisted of so many remarkable people.


	26. Chapter 26

"You sure you're up to this?"

Peter looked over at Tony, who was watching him intently, and nodded.

"Yeah."

He _was_ , too. After an evening of light conversation, he'd gone to bed fairly early, still a bit tired. Only a short time later, Natasha had joined him, pointing out that they needed to make sure he slept well – and in his own bed – and had lulled him to sleep almost immediately. He'd slept soundly through the night, and if he dreamed, he didn't remember – but he definitely hadn't had any nightmares or panic attacks and had woken the next morning still in her arms and still in his own bed, with the teleportation stone on the stand beside them where it usually sat when not in use.

It was in his pocket, now, but only because Tony had suggested that he take it – just in case something happened and they needed Peter to make a hasty exit. It wasn't the best of plans because of the distance involved – and as Natasha already knew, Peter wasn't the sort to cut and run if things went bad, so he might not use it at all – but it was available if it was needed.

Wanda had joined them for breakfast, greeting everyone easily – although Thor was a bit reserved around her – and they had gone through the plan once more, this time for the benefit of Nick, who wasn't going but wanted to make sure he understood where his Avengers were going to be for the next day – or longer if needed. They'd all questioned Peter to make sure he felt up to the venture and he'd assured them that he felt fine and wasn't even tired.

Which was mostly true.

Now they were all standing in the field in a small group, watching Wong who had arrived that morning with Strange and – not surprisingly – the Cloak of Levitation. The magical relic was draped on the doctor's collar in its usual position. If Peter needed it, it would be able to change bears, but the boy was in very little danger, really, given the group that he was with and the concentrated power around him.

Wong looked at Thor, waiting for the Asgardian's permission to open his portal. When Thor gave him a nod, the sorcerer made a circle gesture and the portal formed, almost immediately showing a terminus in a large open space surrounded by huge pillars and marble floors.

"Let's go," Tony said, activating his suit and heading for the portal, right behind Thor.

Strange was beside him, and the rest of the Avengers made a phalanx surrounding Pepper and Peter, who felt the tingle of magic as he passed through the magical doorway, and an even stronger tingle when they reached the world of Asgard. He hadn't been in any condition to notice it the first time he'd been there, but the entire place felt similar to the way it felt to be in the sanctum. It wasn't so potent that it was painful, but it was definitely noticeable.

"Wow…"

Pepper was the first one to speak up, but she wasn't the only one impressed with what little they could see. The portal closed behind them and Wong moved to stand next to Wanda, who wasn't just looking around with her eyes, but as usual was searching the minds of those around her for any danger.

They had been met by a small group of Asgardians. Heimdall was introduced to each member of the group as Thor named them, and there was a warrior for each – similar to the way that Tony had assigned an Avenger to each high school student who had arrived for the tour of the compound. Stark wasn't offended. It was a good idea, really, and a good way to avoid any misunderstandings between the two peoples.

If Heimdall was offended at the thought of being assigned as the liaison for a mere stripling of a boy, he didn't show it, and he watched Peter with interest as Thor led the group toward the main hall that would serve as their staging area while the Avengers were on Asgard. They could have simply assigned each to a room – there was plenty of rooms available – but Thor decided that they would be more comfortable together.

It wasn't like they were going to need sleeping quarters, after all. Not if he had his way, anyway.

OOOOOOOOO

"Are you alright?" Strange asked Peter.

"Yeah." The boy was looking around the hall, but he seemed somewhat distracted. "This place is pretty crazy, huh?"

"It's impressive," Strange agreed. "I assume you didn't have much time to look around the first time that you were here?"

"No. I showed up directly in the room Loki was in, and didn't leave it – as far as I know."

Stark moved over to stand with them, ignoring for the moment the refreshments that had been set up for their group. He glanced over, automatically checking Pepper. But she was fine, easily conversing with a huge warrior dressed in traditional garb, Natasha and Wong. There were plenty of low-slung couches and individual chairs, but no one was sitting just then. They were still in the whole _get to know you_ stage, but there was very little uneasiness even though the two groups were very different, for the most part.

He nodded to Heimdall, pleased that the Asgardian seemed to be aware of everything that was going on around him – and Peter.

"How are we doing?"

"Everything looks good, Tony," Strange told him. He looked at Heimdall, as well, as if aware that the man seemed to be Thor's lieutenant. "Do you know where Thor wants us to open the portal?"

"Not as yet," Heimdall replied. "We were told to remain in the area for now, until it could be decided – and to make certain everything is in readiness."

"Good." He looked at Peter. "You look distracted. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just this place. It's like the sanctum."

"Impressive, you mean?" Tony asked. "Or the magical part?"

"The magical part."

"Is it hurting you?"

"No. Not really. It just tingles. A lot."

"Well, we'll get you out of here as soon as we can, okay. Tell Stephen if things get uncomfortable for you. Or Heimdall, here."

The Asgardian warrior nodded his agreement, although he clearly didn't understand how the place was making the boy uncomfortable.

"I will be close at hand, if I am needed."

They moved toward the others, and for about half an hour the Avengers, the magicians and Wanda mingled with the Asgardians – both those assigned to them, and to the ones who had come to meet the visitors. They didn't have strangers come that often, and the newcomers found plenty of people to talk to – although they had very little in common to discuss.

Eventually, Thor walked into the room. It was a measure of the force of personality that the god of thunder possessed that not only did those visiting stop their conversations to look over at him, but so did the Asgardians. He walked over to where Tony was standing with Pepper and Peter.

"Everything is ready," he reported. "Come with me."

They left the great hall – and most of the Asgardians – and the Avengers walked with Thor to a smaller room that was still lavish and impressive. This one was dominated by the large dais – something that Peter wouldn't have been surprised to see a throne on it, even though there wasn't one – and lit torches stuck in scones against the walls at ten foot intervals. Rather than a marble floor like the one in the other room, this floor was covered in thick rugs that softened the edges of the place.

"Will this suffice?" Thor asked Strange.

"Yes."

They all shifted, and Wanda came to stand beside Peter, who took a position in the middle of the room. Slightly behind the two of them Wong and Strange flanked them and Tony and the Avengers placed themselves right behind them. Pepper was behind Stark, who activated his suit, and the room was suddenly tense. Those Asgardians who had followed their assigned earthlings took positions against the walls, out of the way but where they might be available if they were needed. And Thor moved just to the side.

Peter's hands came up and he looked back at the others for just a moment before closing his eyes, obviously focusing on something within himself. Wanda's taut figure suddenly had the faint tinge of red that indicated she was suddenly wrapped in her powers and her attention was now on Peter, as well. Despite all those who were with him, supporting him and protecting him, Peter was very much exposed just the, and Tony brought his hand up, pointing it to the empty air in front of the boy.

A moment later Peter's hands moved, the gesture a mirror image of the one that had brought forth the portal Wong had summoned to bring them all to Asgard. Power glowed a fiery golden color, a circle that followed Peter's hand, and an instant later a dark-clad figure came tumbling out, landing in a heap only feet from Peter.

The boy didn't move as the god of mischief scrambled to his feet, pale and shaken. He had only a moment to look around, recognize the boy in front of him and raise his hands. Then, everything caught up to him and he crumbled to the floor in a senseless heap.

Thor stepped forward as Peter stepped back, almost bumping into Wanda.

"Bring healers," Thor commanded, looking up from his brother's still form.

Peter sagged, too, and might have fallen had Wanda not reached out and caught him before his knees gave out, entirely.

"I'm okay," the boy told her, looking anything but. He turned to Thor. "Is he?"

"He is breathing," the Asgardian stated. "We will get him into a bed and have him looked at."

Stark had moved up, now, and had a hand under Peter's arm, supporting much of his weight.

"Let's get you off your feet, too."

"Yeah."


	27. Chapter 27

They went back to the first large hall, with Peter being supported between Tony and Steve. Heimdall strode beside them, aware that the boy was still his responsibility, and uncertain why what seemed to be a simple casting seemed to have taken so much out of him.

"Does he need anything?" the Asgardian asked Stark as they entered the hall.

"I'm okay," Peter assured him – and the others. "Just a little tired."

"We'll get him off his feet and let him rest for a bit," Strange replied. He looked at Peter. "Eat something, too, alright? That will help restore some energy."

"That went fairly well," Tony said. "We can head back any time now, right?"

"Not until we get our tour," Natasha reminded him.

"I want to make sure Loki's okay," Peter added. "Before we go, I mean."

"Why?"

"Because I put him in the portal," the boy said, as if that made all the sense in the world – which it did not.

At least it didn't to Stark.

He wasn't going to argue, though. By the time the others had their tour, Thor would be able to tell Peter that Loki was fine – because they wouldn't get so lucky that he wouldn't be – and then they could go. Maybe even make it home in time for dinner.

Which made Tony look at Heimdall as they walked Peter to one of the couches and settled him on it.

"We'll need to feed him."

"I could eat, too," Wanda said, sitting in a chair beside the couch Peter was on.

Pepper walked over and sat beside the boy, her arm going across the back of the couch behind him, but not actually touching him.

"So why is Peter so tired from making a portal, but Wong isn't?" she asked Strange.

"Because _Wong_ is a sorcerer and Peter isn't," the doctor replied. He winked at the boy, the black eye making it a bit lopsided. "He's going to be an _Avenger_ , and doesn't have the same training that a real magician does."

"It takes years of discipline to learn to channel and manipulate the energy that makes magic possible," Wong explained, overhearing the question. "Peter is basically using it raw, unfocused. It's more powerful, really – or it _can_ be – but the manipulation takes a toll on the person doing the casting."

"It might also be something to do with the way he senses the energy, as well," Strange added.

"I will bring refreshments," Heimdall offered, bored by the conversation. "Please excuse me."

The Asgardian walked away and Tony looked at Peter, obviously still concerned.

"Are you sure you want to stay? We can take you home. Thor could let us know how Loki's doing. A post card, or something."

"Yeah. Please?"

Stark turned to Pepper.

"You're okay with this?"

"As long as he isn't in danger."

The billionaire looked at the doctor.

"Stephen?"

The doctor looked at the boy.

"Peter?"

"I'm just tired."

Pepper's hand went to his forehead.

"And a little fevered."

"Not enough to be a concern," Strange assured her. He had checked for fever earlier. "We'll keep an eye on it, Pepper."

Heimdall returned with a silver platter loaded with enough food to feed all of them, much less a scrawny teenager, and a large stein, which he handed to Peter, who took it with a smile of thanks. The boy gagged, though, after the first sip, and looked into the cup. What he'd thought was some kind of tea, or juice, was definitely not.

"What is this?"

"Ale."

Pepper took the glass from him and looked at it.

"He'll have _water_."

OOOOOOOOOO

He woke, slowly, trying to figure out – without actually doing much more than opening his eyes – where he was and what was going on around him. He was sprawled on the couch in the great hall, the one that they'd helped him to after he'd freed Loki. If not the exact one, then it was one that was very similar. It was quiet, and what had been natural lighting before was now obviously artificial, which made him think that perhaps it was much later in the day than he thought.

Peter shifted, and the pillow under his cheek moved and a hand came down to brush against his temple. He turned his head and saw that he'd been using Tony's leg as a pillow. Stark looked down as Peter levered himself more upright.

"Hey. How was the nap?"

Peter looked around the hall. It was almost entirely empty. Heimdall was close at hand, talking with a couple of other Asgardians, but no one else was around.

"I don't even remember falling asleep," Peter admitted.

"Yeah, you went pretty quick," Tony told him, amused rather than concerned. "Better ly off the ale, huh?"

"I only had a sip."

"Some guys are lightweights."

Peter smiled, shaking his head but always willing to be teased by him. He had no doubts Tony loved him, so there was none of the insecurities that might have hurt his feelings otherwise.

"Where is everyone?"

"Thor took them for their tour of the place."

"Why didn't _you_ go?" Peter asked. "I would have been okay."

The question proved that he probably wasn't completely awake, after all, since there was no way Tony would have left him by himself to wander around Asgard playing tourist. Especially with Peter asleep and completely helpless. Heimdall was his assigned liaison, but Tony was father and guardian, after all.

"Someone needed to play pillow."

"Did you hear if Loki is okay?"

"Haven't heard anything," he said. "I admit, when I saw Thor I didn't think to ask, and Natasha accosted him fairly quickly – to make sure he didn't change his mind about that tour."

"Oh."

"How do you feel?" Stark asked, brushing his palm against Peter's forehead.

"I'm okay."

"You're warm."

"You know I'm going to be," he pointed out.

"Still tired?"

"No. I feel better. Thanks. How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours."

Heimdall had noticed that Peter was awake and walked over to the couch, followed by the other Asgardians who had remained behind. They were all large men, Peter noticed, made to look even larger by their outfits, which were mostly armor, made of bits of metal or leather. They were muscular and beefy, all different colorings; blonde, brunette and different skin hues, but very much the same type. He wondered if there were any people his size around. Then maybe he wouldn't feel quite so small.

"Finally awake, I see. Are you hungry?"

"No. Thanks," Peter replied, rubbing his face.

"Peter is curious how Loki's doing," Stark said. "Any idea?"

"I will inquire." He gestured to one of the others, who nodded and left. "He will return with news. The others from your world have gone with Thor. It is probably too late to catch up with them, but if you would like, I can show you two around."

Stark looked at Peter. He wouldn't mind checking the place out, but it would really depend on whether Peter felt up to walking around, yet. As if he understood what he was asking, he nodded and stood up.

"Yeah. That would be great. Shouldn't we wait for your friend to return, though?"

Heimdall shook his head.

"He will come find us. Come. I'll show you the Bifrost bridge, first. You'll find it far more interesting than the sights the others are being shown."

If you were going to show off your home world for the first time in millennia, why start with the stables, after all?


	28. Chapter 28

Peter felt the underlying power long before the small group actually reached the building that Heimdall called the observatory. He hesitated, stopping in mid stride as he tried to decide if it was something that would overwhelm – like the Mind stone – or if it was something more ambient that he could handle.

"What's up?" Tony asked, catching the hesitation immediately.

"It's _really_ powerful," Peter replied.

Heimdall nodded.

He had stopped as well – as had those Asgardians who had followed along for the tour. They were curious about Tony Stark – who they had all heard of thanks to Thor – and the boy who had managed to lay Loki low with apparently very little effort.

"You are very perceptive, Peter. From the observatory I can see all across the nine realms, and control the Bifrost through the Rainbow Bridge. The power of the Bifrost is immense, but I will not activate it – as I understand it can injure you."

"And the Rainbow Bridge?" Stark asked.

"The power of the bridge is latent. The bridge will not activate unless the Bifrost runs through it – and only I can activate it."

"Heimdall is the Gatekeeper," one of the others explained. "He controls who has access to Asgard – and from it."

"In most cases," Heimdall added.

Obviously the Bifrost could be circumvented by portals and teleportation stones.

Stark looked at Heimdall and then back at Peter.

"Is it hurting you?"

"No. It's just really strong."

"We can go back – or go see something else."

"No. I'm good. It's okay. I was just making sure before I went in."

He was really curious what the place would look like, and knew a description wouldn't be even close to as amazing as the real thing. It was crazy to think that he was on another world just then, and was trying very hard to take it all in so he would be able to describe it to Ned. Especially since he hadn't even considered taking his cell phone that morning.

Who was he going to call, after all?

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

Stark shrugged and then nodded, and the group continued forward, but now Tony was focusing almost as much on Peter as he was on his surroundings. The place was as amazing as he'd expected, of course, but he didn't want to have to admit to Pepper that he'd allowed Peter to be hurt in any way.

OOOOOOO

"Wow…"

Thor preened; pleased enough by the reactions of those who had come with him that he wasn't even still annoyed that they had all finagled an invitation to his home in the first place. Most of them, anyway. At the moment, he was showing them one of the best views in all Asgard. From the dizzying heights of one of the spires, a person could see everything from the Asgard sea, to the Observatory and beyond.

He and those who were assigned to their various Avengers had taken the visitors on a lengthy tour of the place, showing them as many of the more interesting sights as he could. The only place off limits to them was the Observatory – and really, it was mainly because he didn't like the idea of a couple of extremely powerful wizards having any idea of how it operated. Only Heimdall could summon the Bifrost – which was all that kept Asgard secure.

The wizards from Earth had already proven that they knew of the Bifrost. He didn't want them learning any more about it than they already did, from observing it first-hand. Even more, the wizards didn't need to Bifrost to reach Asgard, and had proven that without question. He almost instinctively kept them from the heart of his world.

"It's an ancient world," he told them. "Formed to be home of the guardians of the nine realms and beyond. My people are peaceful for the most part – but famous for their fighting abilities and the Bifrost, of course."

He let them look for a few minutes longer, and then decided that it was enough to take in in one day and called a halt to the tour. The final view would work well as a finale worthy of the group he was showing it to, after all.

"Come," he said, heading back the way they had come, toward the great hall. "There will be a meal brought to you and you can rest for a while."

Natasha walked beside him, her long legs easily keeping up with his own pace as he led them down an open aired corridor.

"Pretty impressive digs," she told him.

"Yes."

"But you don't like having us here."

He scowled, annoyed that Romanoff could read him so easily. He was a _god_ , after all. A mere mortal – and it was to his credit that he didn't think _woman_ – should not be able to know what he was thinking just by looking at him. Of course, he was aware that she was especially gifted – despite not having any actual super powers – so he managed to bite back that annoyance, even though he knew from the look she gave him that she'd noticed _that_ , too.

"I am fine with _you_ being here," he corrected her. "It's some of the others that make me wary."

"Strange and Wong?"

"And _Wanda_."

"They're not here to reconnoiter for an invasion. You know that."

"I do."

"They're here to help."

He scowled.

"I know."

"Pulled your brother's acorns out of the fire… You should be thanking them. Otherwise Peter wouldn't have been able to get back here without flattening himself again and he might not have been able to summon the portal."

"I know." He had to try and guess about the acorn and the fire reference, but he had hung around bawdy warriors from the very beginning of his life, so it didn't take much to figure it out, really. "I am grateful for their assistance."

"But…?"

"They are not Avengers."

She raised an eyebrow at that.

"You know we wouldn't have brought anyone with us that would pose a threat to your people."

"Aside from the _boy_?" he countered, suddenly annoyed because he knew she was right, and he didn't want to admit it. "Who almost killed my brother…"

"The boy your _brother_ was foolish enough to test. He won't make that mistake, again, I imagine."

"Loki is not so predictable, Natasha," Thor admitted, and now he was over his annoyance as quickly as it had flared up. "But I am certain that he won't try something like this again."

She made a noncommittal sound.

"Has he woken, yet?"

"No. Not that I have heard."

He had a warrior assigned to the healers that were monitoring his brother. When he woke, he would be informed.

"He will."

Not that she cared one way or the other, really, but for Peter's sake, Loki needed to rebound from the portal incident unscathed. Then she would have a word with the godling. Whether he wanted to or not.

"The sooner, the better," Thor rumbled. "Then you can take your wizards home. _Peter_ , too."

She smiled.

"He's been here, now. You never know when he might decide to drop in and say hello."

The god of thunder simply scowled. Now he _knew_ she was teasing him, and it wasn't something he was used to having done to him – and wasn't completely sure how to respond. Luckily, she wasn't expecting him to say anything. Instead, she artfully changed the subject, asking him about the people of Asgard, rather than the architecture and taking his mind off the fact that she was absolutely right, despite the teasing tone – and he knew that she wouldn't have mentioned it if she didn't have cause.

He just didn't know what that reason was. And knew that unless she wanted to tell him, he never _would_.

Natasha Romanoff was not someone to mess with, and he knew it. It made him glad that she was a friend.


	29. Chapter 29

Their dinner was waiting when they arrived. A long table had been brought into the great hall and loaded with foods that were a mixture of several different steaming platters of meats, a multitude of bread of all sorts and a wide variety of vegetables. Clearly, the Asgardians didn't know what their guests would want to eat and were trying to make sure they had plenty of different items to choose from. There was also a wide choice of drinks. No coffee, but warm drinks of all kinds – alcoholic and not – and several kinds of chilled beers and ales – as well as fruit juices and water.

Pepper looked around the moment they walked in and ignored it all.

"Where are Tony and Peter?"

One of the giant warriors who was standing guard at the table muttered something to Thor in a different language and he nodded.

"Peter woke and Heimdall took them to show them around."

"Was Peter alright?"

The warrior shrugged, indifferently.

"Tony wouldn't have let him up if he weren't," Strange pointed out.

True.

Before Pepper could reply, another warrior came into the room and made directly for him. He, too, spoke in a different language, and Thor nodded once more. The man left, and the god of thunder turned to his guests.

"Loki's awake. I must go see him. Please, eat and avail yourselves to whatever entertainment you would care for. I will return, shortly."

He left, and Steve frowned.

"That seemed like a bit longer of a conversation than ' _Your brother just woke up'_."

"It was," Strange told him.

"He said that Loki woke up, but is delirious and is demanding the boy be brought to him, immediately," Wong added.

None of the others were surprised that Wong and Strange both understood Asgardian. They spent a lot of time in their library, after all, and there were only so many cookbooks to read. It also didn't surprise the more military minded – or naturally suspicious – of them that neither man had let on to their hosts that they could understand what was being said around them. Natasha wouldn't have shared that, because it would give her an edge. Clearly the magicians understood that, as well.

"He _is_ delirious, then," Clint muttered, darkly, picking up a load of bread that was still warm enough to be steaming. "If he thinks Tony's going to allow _that_ to happen."

They didn't all respond, but they definitely agreed.

OOOOOO

They were barely into their meal when a commotion at one of the entrances into the hall made them all look over. Pepper saw Tony and Peter walking into the room, the two of them dwarfed by the Asgardian warriors who were walking with them. Of course, Peter was fairly undersized anyway, and Tony wasn't a large man, but she realized that the Asgardians were a large race of people. Imposing and dominating the rooms that they were in.

Stark was visibly relaxed, which told them all that their own tour had been incident free, but Pepper wasn't the only to notice that Peter's face was a bit flushed, even though he smiled when he saw that the others had beat them back to the hall.

Heimdall led them to the table, and bowed himself away, telling them that he would return shortly, and Peter sat down between Pepper and Natasha, leaving Tony to claim the seat on the other side – between Pepper and Wong.

She smiled a greeting, but her hand came up, automatically, to brush against his forehead, and the smile faded into a worried frown.

"You're burning up."

"Yeah. I mean, I _am_ , yes, but it's nothing serious. It was the bridge, and the Observatory. I'm okay."

Pepper looked at Strange, who stood just enough to lean over to check, as well. His expression turned serious, too.

"You _are_ pretty warm."

"It's okay," Peter assured them both. "I feel fine. Just _hot_. I'll drink some water."

"That's not going to make the fever go away," Stephen pointed out. "It will just-"

"Someone told Heimdall that Loki is awake," Tony said, interrupting. "That's why we came back. We should be able to go pretty soon. Then he'll be alright. Until then, we keep him away from anything too magical."

"This whole place is magical," Pepper said.

"Did you guys go to the Observatory?" Peter asked. "The place with the bridge? That was pretty cool."

"It was irresponsible of Heimdall to take you there," Wong said. "The Bifrost runs through the Rainbow Bridge. Had he activated it for some reason, its energies would have killed you."

"He _didn't_ ," Peter assured them. "He knows it's not safe. But how many times am I going to be able to say that I went to another planet and had a chance to look around at things like that?"

"Still…" Pepper wasn't convinced, and it showed.

Tony, on the other hand, understood exactly what Peter was saying. Of course, the boy was a lot like him. Inquisitive and excited about all things that were new to him. Asgard definitely qualified, and the magic – or tech, if you looked at it that way – was insanely off the charts here. Secure in the knowledge that Peter wasn't going to suddenly decide that he wanted to live there, Stark was willing to allow a little bit of a fever to let him have the once in a lifetime chance to explore the place.

"It's okay, momma," he murmured, softly, leaning over to whisper in her ear. "He's not going to keel over, and I'm watching him."

She scowled, but since it was obvious that he wasn't going to side with her on this one, she had to believe that it wasn't as serious as she thought that it must be. Otherwise, he'd be more concerned about the fever.

"Fine." She handed him a plate, though. "Eat something."

"And drink some water," Strange added.

A large stein appeared in Wong's hand and he reached over and set it in front of Peter.

"Even better, drink that."

The boy picked it up, looking at the liquid inside it suspiciously. Wong's potions were sometimes delicious and other times were hard to swallow. It was a crapshoot, it seemed. This time, though, he smiled, recognizing the fruity drink that was almost magical in itself in how refreshing it was.

"Thanks."

Stark looked over at Strange and wiggled his fingers.

"How about a cup of coffee, Stephen?" he asked. "Or even better, an entire pot?"

The doctor rolled his eyes, but had to agree that it was a good idea.

OOOOOO

They'd put him in his own room, in his own bed. Always pale, the god of mischief was even more so at the moment, his skin almost translucent. His dark hair had been combed, so it wasn't so wild as it had looked when he'd emerged from the portal, but it was the only bit of color about him, really, and even then it only served to make his face look more faded.

His eyes were closed, but they opened when he heard Thor enter the room.

"How long?" he asked.

Thor understood the question.

"Several days."

"And you _allowed_ that?"

"The decision wasn't mine. You're lucky to be out at all, brother. The boy would have been within his rights to keep you where you were."

"We have magicians-"

"No one else could have released you. I looked into it, I assure you. If the boy hadn't chosen to undo what he did, you'd still be there."

He saw Loki shudder, although his brother tried to hide it.

"I'm home?"

"Yes. And there doesn't seem to be any lasting harm done. How do you feel?"

"Where is the boy?"

"With the others."

Loki scowled.

"You allowed them all to come?"

"For some reason, they didn't feel that they could trust you," Thor said, his tone dripping derision. "What were you thinking, Loki?"

"I want to see the boy."

"Unlikely. Stark won't allow you to-"

"Who is master in Asgard? Stark? Or _you_?"

The god of thunder scowled.

"I am, and you would do well to remember that. They are our guests, and you will remember that, as well."

It was Loki's turn to scowl.

"I never forget, brother. Tell Stark I want to see the boy. Assure him that I won't hurt him."

"You couldn't hurt a dead chicken at the moment."

"Funny."

But fairly accurate, unfortunately.


	30. Chapter 30

Stark responded predictably when Thor returned to the hall and pulled him aside to pass on Loki's request.

"Are you crazy?"

Thor shrugged, not at all offended.

"I told him that I would pass on his request to you," he said. "I also assured him that you would say no."

"Of _course_ I'm going to say no. He's the reason all this happened in the first place."

"He promised that he wouldn't harm Peter."

Tony scowled, looking over at the table, where Peter and Pepper weren't the only ones watching the exchange, even though they were all too far away to hear what was being said. He tried to school his features, well aware that Pepper could read him fairly well – as could Romanoff.

"Tell him I said to go pack sand."

The Asgardian frowned.

"I do not understand that reference."

Stark rolled his eyes.

"No. I'm not going to let Peter go talk to Loki. You can tell him that whatever sneaky mind game he has planned this time won't go any further than his _own_ head for a change."

Thor nodded, and shrugged.

"It was the reply I expected. Nor do I blame you. Loki has caused your people much harm. Peter as much as any."

"Yeah, he has."

"He appears to be undamaged by the portal, though."

"We'll let Peter know _that_ ," Stark said. "He'll feel better about what happened that way."

"Good. You'll be leaving soon, then?"

Tony smiled. Even Thor couldn't school his tone enough to hide the anticipation in his voice.

"Yeah. We did what we came to do, right? You've been really accommodating, but I don't blame you for wanting to see us gone."

"You are my friend, Tony. You are always welcomed here."

"I appreciate that, Thor. It's a nice place, but too magical for Peter. We'll be better off if you come visit us next time, I think."

"I will go pass your message on to Loki."

Thor left and Tony went back to the table.

"What was that all about?" Pepper asked as he re-claimed his seat beside her.

"He was passing on a request to Peter," Stark told her, reaching for his coffee cup.

"For me?" Peter asked. "What?"

"Loki woke up demanding to see you."

"I _told_ you he was delirious," Barton said from the other side of the table.

"Why would he want to see Peter?" Pepper asked, almost automatically putting a protective arm around the boy, who didn't even notice, since he, too, was watching Tony.

Stark shrugged.

"No clue. We didn't get that far. I told him no."

"Good."

"Is he okay?" Peter asked, taking another drink of the potion that Wong had produced for him.

The stein never emptied, which was an encouragement to drink as much as he could. Since it was good, he was fine with that.

"I'm sure he's fine," Tony assured him. "Thor said it doesn't look like he took any lasting harm. Since we've done everything that we've come to do – and got a tour of the place – I think that we can leave when we're done eating. Stephen?"

Strange nodded his agreement.

"Yes. The sooner we get Peter out of here, the happier I'll be." He looked at the boy. " _Not_ because the place is _dangerous_ ," he clarified. "Because I don't like the fever you're running."

"This area isn't too much different than the sanctum," Peter told him. "But it will be good to go home."

Maybe a swim in the pool would cool him off – or a cold shower, although he knew Strange didn't like the idea of a sudden change in body temperature that something like that would bring.

OOOOOO

"He said no."

Loki scowled.

" _He_ did? Or Stark did?"

"It doesn't matter. The answer is the same."

"Did you tell them I promised not to harm the boy?"

"Yes. And, surprisingly, he most certainly didn't trust your word."

Thor's expression made it fairly clear that he didn't, either, really.

"I must talk to the boy."

Loki tossed his blankets back and got shakily to his feet.

"What are you doing?"

"If they will not allow him to come to me, then I'll go to him."

"The healers said you should remain in bed for several days."

"Right."

The god of mischief tried to push his way past Thor, but was knocked back onto his bed. Not because Thor did anything, but because Loki was simply too weak to move him out of his way – even when he was at his best. At the moment, he was far from it, and he might have been trying to move a planet.

Thor grabbed his brother's arm, pushing him back into the bed, carefully, to keep him from hurting himself.

"What is so important?" he asked. "That you would injure yourself to talk to him?"

"That's my business."

"Good luck, then."

Loki scowled.

"Fine."

OOOOOOO

They were done eating by the time Thor returned. The Asgardians were watching Clint give a demonstration with a borrowed longbow and some candles. Inside wasn't really the best place for such things, of course, but the hall was so large that it wasn't as confining as it might have been – and it didn't hurt for the warriors to understand that the people from earth had talents of their own.

Something Stark definitely approved of.

He watched as Thor spoke with Heimdall, who had been standing by the door. Ostensibly to watch the demonstration – which was impressive – but more to keep an eye on Peter, and to make sure that he wasn't suffering any more than he had been. The Observatory had been _his_ idea, after all, and he didn't want to make the boy worse because of it.

The Gatekeeper nodded and left the hall, and Thor walked over to where Tony was sitting beside Pepper, watching as Peter fetched arrows for Clint in between demonstrations.

"Where is he off to?" Stark asked.

"He is going to bring the entertainment."

"You're going to entertain us?"

"Not _me_. But yes, you've seen my world, feasted on its bounty, but you haven't seen our culture. So you shall. Then you can go."

"What did Loki say?"

"He insists that talking to Peter is important. Both for him, and for the boy."

"I don't see how."

"His machinations put some doubt in Peter's mind about his aunt's illness. Loki has promised to clear them up."

Tony wasn't the only one to frown at that.

"And what does he get out of it?"

"I'm not sure," Thor admitted.

Now Tony looked torn, and Pepper could see that quite clearly. The thing that seemed to be triggering more of the concern – and the panic attacks – was the fact that Peter had it in his head that Loki had somehow caused May's illness. Put there by Loki, of course. If that could be cleared up – even if none of _them_ really believed what Loki said – then it might help. At least somewhat. The question was, would it be worth subjecting Peter to Loki once more?

He looked at Pepper, silently asking her for her input.

"It's up to you," she said, reaching for his hand. "You know him best. Would it be worth it?"

"I'm not sure," Tony admitted.

"Why not allow the boy to decide?" Thor suggested.

Stark shrugged, and then looked over at Peter, who was standing next to Clint, waiting for him to shoot the next round of arrows. Almost as if he knew he was being discussed, he looked over at Tony, and the billionaire waved at him, gesturing for him to join them. Peter handed the arrows that he was holding for Clint over to Steve and walked over to the three of them.

"Yeah?"

"Loki wants to talk to you," Stark said. "He says it's important."

"I will guarantee your safety, Peter," Thor told the boy. "Loki will not harm you."

Peter wasn't worried about Loki hurting him. He knew he was a match for him physically, and with help from the Mind stone, could match him – or exceed him – magically. It was the mental aspect that concerned him. He wasn't a match for Loki mentally. He just didn't have the lack of empathy and sympathy that Loki seemed to have.

"It's your choice," Tony told him, reading the indecision, easily, on the boy's face. "I'm going to go with you if you want to see him, and I'll back you if you say you don't want to."

"If nothing else, you would be able to assure yourself that he has taken no harm from the portal," Thor added.

Stark scowled.

"Or you can just take Thor's word for that."

Peter shook his head. Thor was right. If he saw Loki and knew that he wasn't hurt from being in the portal, he was pretty sure that he would feel better – and maybe be able to sleep again without the nightmares.

He licked his lips, nervously.

"You'll come?" He asked Tony.

"Of course." He looked at Pepper, almost apologetically. "Only me, though. If it's you and I, I can watch you – and Loki. If someone else comes, I would have more trouble protecting you both – in case things go bad and it's a trick."

"I will be there, as well."

"When?"

"Immediately."

"Or whenever you feel like it."

Peter nodded.

"Okay."

"When?"

"As soon as possible."

That way he didn't work himself into a panic attack, waiting with anticipation.


	31. Chapter 31

Loki was in his bed when they arrived. He opened his eyes and frowned.

"I didn't say anything about _him_ coming, as well."

"If I go, he goes," Stark said, standing beside Peter at the entrance to the room, his arms crossed over his chest.

It had been difficult to get Pepper to stay behind. The only thing that had convinced her was that he'd pointed out that even as Ironman, if things went bad, somehow, with Loki, he could protect one of them much easier than two, and how was he supposed to be able to make that choice? She'd frowned at that, and had finally nodded, but Tony knew she hadn't wanted to let them go without her.

The god of mischief scowled at the ultimatum, unused to being treated so disdainfully – especially by a human.

"He agreed to the meeting, brother," Thor pointed out from his position on the other side of Peter.

"Have your say," Stark said. "We have other things to do."

Loki turned his attention to Peter, ignoring the irritating adult in favor of the boy, who was chewing his thumbnail, nervously. Probably not even realizing that he was doing it.

"Come here, Peter."

"No."

He knew that distance wasn't really a safety factor when it came to dealing with Loki, but he didn't want to be close to him. From where he was right then, he could reach out and touch Tony. He had instant access to the comfort and protection of the man. More than anything, he needed that support right then.

Besides, he was teenager enough to not be pleased at being ordered around by someone who had zero authority over him.

The Asgardian scowled, and ignored Thor's amused guffaw at the rejection.

"I won't hurt you, you know."

"I know."

He sat more upright in his bed. He wanted to be standing. He wanted to walk over and face just the boy eye to eye. To look into his stupid, honest face, and intimidate him, but he couldn't. He was wan and tired – feeling the effects of being trapped in the darkness of the portal for what had felt like an eternity. It was hard to intimidate when you were so depleted.

He found, looking at the boy, that he didn't even _want_ to intimidate him. He didn't even want to _hurt_ him – although Stark was another matter, entirely. The arrogant human was an annoyance to him – and had been for years. He felt a smoldering anger building inside him, but tamped it down. _That_ could wait until another day. Another time. Another opportunity would present itself, he was certain.

Peter's head came up a little, as if the boy could sense the anger within him. Loki forced his thoughts to stabilize, his expression had remained serene and his emotions steadied as well.

"I wanted to discuss what happened." He said. "Preferably alone."

"I'd rather not," the boy replied.

Loki looked tired, but _Peter_ felt tired, too. Worn out from the emotional turmoil of the past week, and run down by the physical toll on his body. The fever that burned inside him wasn't helping things, either. He didn't have the energy to try and spar – mentally – with the god.

"I can understand that." Of course, he just assumed the boy was afraid of him. He liked that. It was the way things should be, after all. "Your perceptions of me are probably a bit… skewed."

"You killed my aunt."

Loki scowled.

"No. I didn't. Believe me in one thing – if you never believe another word that I say to you. I didn't kill your aunt – although I may have tried to have you believe that I _was_ responsible."

"I don't believe you."

"Yes. I can see that." He crossed his arms, much in the same way that Stark was standing. "Why would I have killed her?"

"Because you're a sick, twisted bastard who gets his kicks screwing with people," Peter said, his anger rising to the foreground, finally. "You like it when you hurt people. You _enjoy_ it. I've been in your head, as much as you've been in mine. More, even. You _wanted_ to hurt me. Well, you did it. Congratulations. You won't get another chance, though."

"The last thing I would have wanted was for you to permanently be affiliated with the Avengers," Loki countered, rolling his eyes, contemptuously. "Your aunt dying put _Stark_ in the perfect position to become your guardian. I would have much preferred she lived and kept control of you, herself. You would still be hiding out, keeping your talents to yourself if she was alive. That is your proof that I didn't kill her."

"Because it would have been an inconvenience to you?" Peter asked, incredulously.

"Exactly." He smirked. "You might not have figured it out, yet. You're a _child_ , after all – and not a particularly intelligent one – but I don't do anything unless it is beneficial for me. That would include killing your beloved aunt. In my perfect world, she would still be alive, keeping you under her thumb."

"Why are you telling me this?" Peter asked. "What are you _gaining_ from trying to make me think you're not responsible for it?"

"I'm returning a favor, boy," Loki told him. "You saved my life. Releasing me from the prison. Granted, you _put_ me there, but I might have had a hand in that. By releasing me, you saved me from a gruesome fate. If I don't make amends some way, then I would have that debt hovering over my head – and that would become an annoyance."

"You're trying to tell me that you have a code of honor?"

"Of course not. I don't answer to _anyone_. Including my brother – despite what he might think." Loki's gaze flickered to Thor, who also scowled. "But there is sometimes a balance that needs to be maintained. Whether I like it or not. Now it _is_."

Peter looked over at Tony, and then at Thor, before turning back to Loki, who was quietly watching him.

"Are we done?"

"I am. What you do with the information I gave you is completely up to you. Believe me, or don't believe me. I _will_ say one more thing – and listen well, because you'll _never_ hear it from me, again. Thank you for releasing me."

"I wanted to leave you in it," he admitted, before he could stop himself.

"I _know_. Which proves you're a better person than I am – because if the tables had been turned, I would have left you there and not thought twice."

Peter had no doubt about that. He turned and left the room without another word. Thor followed, but Tony Stark held back, his gaze locked on Loki's.

"He's better than you in _every way_ ," Stark said. "Don't doubt it for a minute."

"Go away, Stark," Loki replied. "You bore me."

"Stay away from Peter."

The Asgardian shrugged, and shooed him out of the room without another comment. Stark was below him. He didn't need to listen to empty threats from the human. He'd go where he wanted. Do what he wanted – to anyone that he wanted. _Including_ Peter Parker, if that was what he decided. But he wasn't in any hurry, just then. The good thing about being a god, he knew, was that he had all the time in the world.

OOOOOO

Peter was leaning against a wall of the corridor waiting for him, with Thor hovering over him but not speaking, when Tony caught up to them.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

Tony put his hand on Peter's forehead, still feeling the fever, but then slid it along the boy's cheek and used that connection to pull him into a hug, holding his head against his chest and resting his chin on the top of Peter's head.

"You're an amazing kid," he murmured, feeling Peter's arms coming around him and the boy leaning into him. "You know that, right?"

"Thanks, Tony."

"You handled Loki exceptionally well," Thor added, willing to lean against the wall and give the two as much time as they needed to allow the boy to regain his equilibrium. "Well done, Peter."

Stark held the boy for a long time, but eventually pulled away, looking him over for any sign of distress – physical or emotional. He just looked worn out and tired. The usual.

"Ready to go join the others?"

"Yeah."

"You don't want to miss too much of the play," Thor said, as they started walking back the way they came. Tony kept his hand on Peter's shoulder, needing the contact with the boy as much as Peter did. "The story is a re-enactment of the origins of my world."

"Sounds _riveting_ ," Stark said, blandly, making Peter grin.

As usual, Thor missed the sarcasm.

"It is," he agreed.

They walked into the great hall minutes later, and found it was darkened to allow the impromptu stage at the far end of the room to be lit up. It didn't look much different, really, from the stage that he had seen the time that May had taken him to see his one Broadway play, and the actors – while much larger, even the women – were all similarly made up in exaggerated costumes and makeup. The audience was enthralled in the play, and Peter started looking in the darkened room for the others.

He and Tony said goodbye to Thor and found Pepper sitting next to Strange on a padded couch. The two made room for them, and Peter found himself between Pepper and Strange, who immediately checked him silently for fever as the play continued on in front of them.

"Are you alright?" the doctor whispered.

"Yeah." Peter looked around, before leaning against Pepper, who had put an arm around Tony and the other around him. "Where's Natasha?" he whispered to Pepper, since she was closest to him and he didn't want to annoy any of the others by interrupting their show.

"She said she had to go take care of something. She'll be back in a minute, I'm sure."


	32. Chapter 32

" _Oh, my…"_

Pepper looked from the stage over to Tony and then to Peter.

Luckily, the boy had fallen asleep, leaning against Strange, who always looked awkward when cuddling – even though Pepper thought it was adorable. Peter had started out pressed against _her_ , obviously wanting to be held, which she was more than willing to do. Sometime during the third act of the play, however, he'd dozed off, falling asleep and shifting a little to get more comfortable. With the Cloak of Levitation murmuring lullabies in his mind and caressing his cheek, it wasn't much of a surprise that he had ended up against Stephen, really, and she'd smiled when she noticed the doctor roll his eyes and succumb to his fate of being Peter's pillow.

For the time being, anyway.

At the _moment_ , she was a bit relieved that he was asleep, at all. Not so much because he obviously needed the rest, but because the actors on the stage were in the middle of what really wasn't anything more than a very detailed orgy, and there was a lot of skin showing, and a lot of soft moans of passion. She didn't really even want to think about her sweet guy actually _watching_ something so evocative.

Tony had looked over, automatically, at Peter as well, and then had grinned at Pepper's reaction to the play.

"Pay attention, honey," he murmured in her ear, his breath warm and making her shiver, delightfully. "There might be a test, later."

She chuckled at that, and turned to press a kiss against his cheek.

"Hush."

"Yes, dear."

They turned back to the play, which was still involving a lot of physical activity and no sword play. Unless you thought of it as a euphemism for what was going on on the stage. She couldn't wait to see what Natasha thought of this particular entertainment. Which was when she realized that Natasha still hadn't returned from wherever she'd vanished to. Not that she was worried, of course. Not when each of them had their own warrior to make sure that they didn't stray, or didn't get lost. Perhaps she'd just ended up at the back of the room and hadn't wanted to disturb the rest of the audience by scrambling through them to get to the spot she'd vacated.

OOOOO

"You know where you're going?"

Wanda nodded.

"Of course. Apparently, everyone in this place knows where Loki's rooms are."

"That's convenient," Romanoff said, approvingly, as the three of them strode purposefully down the corridor, with Wanda just a little in the lead.

Not only was she guiding them to their destination, but she was also dealing with the minds of those who Asgardians weren't at the great hall, making sure that their passage went unnoticed. As had their departure from the hall itself. No mean feat, since they each had an Asgardian to watch them. Wanda was up to the task, though, as she was proving quite nicely.

"I hope this doesn't take too long," Wong said, looking over at the two women. "I've read about Asgard entertainment. The play should be very interesting."

"Keep your mind on what we're doing," Natasha told him, amused. "If we miss anything, I'll ask them for an encore – just for you."

The sorcerer smiled, but then lost that grin when Maximoff stopped in front of a large, ornate door.

"Here we are."

They didn't knock.

Natasha led the way into the room, the two extremely powerful magicians flanking her. She opened the door, but it closed behind them without anyone touching it, and all three of them looked around, getting an idea of what they were dealing with.

Loki bolted upright in his bed, his expression a mixture of outrage and shock.

"What are you doing here?"

Romanoff cocked an eyebrow at him, her expression carefully neutral.

"We've come to talk."

The shock wore off immediately.

"My brother-"

"We're not here to discuss your brother, Loki Laufeyson," Wanda said, interrupting.

He frowned. There was no way she could have known his true name. No one did. None of the ones from Earth, anyway.

"How did you-"

"I know _everything_ about you," Wanda interrupted. "Much more than you'd like."

" _Get out!"_ He started to push the blankets back, but Wong waved his hands and suddenly the god of mischief found that he couldn't move.

The spell was the same as the one that had held him so tightly when he'd first attacked Peter at the compound, and after a moment's struggle, he knew it was just as powerful as it had been, then.

"What do you _want_?" he spat at them, furious.

When he got loose, they were all going to pay for this indignity. They couldn't keep him held forever.

"I told you," Natasha said, calmly. Her voice so cool that it made even Loki feel an atavistic shiver run up his spine and set the hair on the back of neck upright. "We're here to talk."

"I have nothing to say. To any of you."

"Good. That'll make this conversation go a lot quicker."

"Get out."

"No. You've been very _bad_ , Loki," Romanoff told him. "All kinds of red on your ledger. All sorts of ill doings."

"What I do is none of your concern."

"Wrong, again. You've been allowed your vendetta against the Earth long enough. It was annoying before – but when you decided to go after Peter, it went from annoying to just plain foolish. It ends, _now_."

"No," he said, his smile sickly sweet, and mocking. "It will never end. The Earth will be my playground for the rest of my days. Nothing you can do can stop me from bending your people to my will and-"

"Enough."

He suddenly found that he couldn't speak. The woman to Romanoff's right was practically glowing a muted red, and he realized that she had to be the one who had stopped his tirade. She stepped forward, and nodded.

"You're done," she said. "You just don't know it, yet."

"You know what the Mind stone is, right?" Natasha asked, rhetorically. He _should_ ; he wielded it in the form of the tesseract for a while. "You understand that it sees into the mind of everyone – everywhere. It can see into _yours_ , as well," she said, and he felt another chill go through him.

Both women turned toward Wong, which made Loki turn his head as well. The sorcerer waved an arm, and the motion ended with that hand facing Loki, who suddenly felt a completely different tingle go through him. He was magic user enough to know that something fairly significant had just happened.

"It's set," Wong said, stepping back and looking a bit smug. "Let's try it, shall we?"

Loki found that he could move, again, and he could talk.

"What have you done?"

"A _simple_ spell," Wong told him.

"And one tied to your mind," Romanoff added. " _You're_ now officially your own worst enemy. The Mind stone will know the moment you start thinking of Peter, or the Avengers, or even Earth with any ill intent. The spell we just set will trigger a portal that will appear. It doesn't _go_ anywhere, it just _is_. Like the one you were just released from. The first two times this happens, the portal will vanish as soon as you see the error of your ways, and you distract yourself from your twisted thoughts – if you _can_."

"The next time, the portal will engulf you," Wong said. "You'll be in it until _I_ chose to release you – since I'm the one that set the spell. I can _assure_ you," he told the god of mischief. "I will _not_ release you. Peter is young, and tender-hearted; _I_ will have no problem leaving you to rot."

Loki was shocked, and it showed. His face contorted with outrage and he scrambled ungracefully to his feet, pulling the blankets aside.

"You can't do that! I am a _god_. I'll tear your world-"

A portal suddenly appeared in front of him, between him and the three intruders and he blanched and fell backwards, his eyes wide with fear.

"I suggest you calm yourself," Wanda told him, pointedly. "Otherwise it's going to be a very long day for you."

It took a bit. He was torn between fury and terror and was trying very hard to find a way out of the situation, and knew, somehow, that there _wasn't_ one. He was well and truly trapped. Eventually, though, he managed to force his mind away from the fury and the hatred that he carried for all of them. The portal vanished, leaving just the four of them in the room once more.

"That was strike one," Natasha said. "The third strike and you're done."

"Before you start plotting," Wanda added. "I will warn you. The spell is permanent. Eternal. Even if one of us dies, it continues on. There is no loophole. You will stop threatening Earth and her people, or you will be removed. The choice is absolutely yours."

Loki forced a smile, bringing his hands up in appeasement.

"This isn't necessary," he said, silkily. "It's just a misunderstanding. I've already made peace with Peter – I even _thanked_ him; surely you don't _really_ need to do anything so extreme…"

The three didn't even change expressions.

"Are we done here?" Romanoff asked the others.

Wanda looked at Loki.

"Any questions?"

He scowled, but forced his anger down before he could trigger another portal, well aware that the thing would now be the nourishment for a million nightmares.

"Get out."

They did.

"I suggest you find a new hobby," Romanoff told the god of mischief as she turned to leave, but never took her eyes off of him. "Painting is supposed to be restful. You might try collecting stamps."

The door closed behind her, muting any retort he may have made, and the three headed back the way they came.

"Well?" Natasha asked.

"He's terrified," Wanda replied. "And already trying to figure out a way around it – or how to break the spell."

"Can he?"

Wong shook his head.

"It's tied to the energies of the universe," he told them. "The spell will break when the universe goes dark, not until then."

"Thank you," Romanoff said, sincerely. " _Both_ of you."

Wong shrugged, nonchalantly, and Wanda smiled.

It was all in a day's work.


	33. Chapter 33

It was the final applause that woke Peter.

Startled by the noise all around him, he jerked awake with a gasp.

"Easy…"

Peter opened his eyes and realized that he had been sleeping against Dr. Strange's side. He raised his head, looking around, still asleep enough to be confused until he remembered that they had been watching a play. One that must have been pretty boring, since it hadn't kept his interest enough to keep him awake. Or maybe he was just _that_ tired.

"It's over?"

Pepper nodded, echoing Strange's similar response to the question.

"Yes."

"Did I miss anything interesting?"

For some reason Strange, Pepper and Tony – who were the only ones who had heard the question – seemed to find it amusing, but Peter didn't understand why, and decided not to ask. He sat up a little straighter as the lights which had been very dim during the performance were turned up once more and rubbed his face, tiredly.

"Feeling better?" Strange asked, his palm pressing against Peter's forehead, almost automatically.

"Yeah. A little tired."

"Warm?"

"That, too."

That was a given, though.

"We'll probably be heading back soon," Tony told him, standing up as the Asgardians around them began doing the same.

Some were beginning to dismantle the stage area. Others were bringing out refreshments and loading them onto the large tables they'd had dinner at earlier. Still others were starting to mingle a little, moving to talk to their visitors, ready to learn a little about them in a much more relaxed setting.

Peter had seen a lot of movies, of course, and from what he could tell, it almost looked like a cast party after a successful performance. Which was what it probably was. The others split up, separating into groups to get something to drink, or to eat something, and to talk to the Asgardians. Thor whisked in and offered Pepper his hand, stealing her away from Tony to take her and introduce her to some of the others, and a gorgeous woman who was dressed in an outfit that Peter assumed had been designed to fit on one of Lila's Barbie dolls then walked over and took Strange, walking him over to one of the refreshment tables and chatting with him, amicably.

Peter saw that Natasha and Steve were standing with Clint talking to some of the warriors that had been hanging out with them earlier, the ones assigned to keep them from having any misunderstandings with the Asgardians. They all seemed to be having a good time. Wong and Wanda were both at a table, also in discussion with some of the Asgardians.

Heimdall walked over to where Peter had just stood up, stretching his legs after being seated for so long. With him were several Asgardians, and from the way that they were dressed, Peter assumed that they were some of the performers.

The Gatekeeper made the introductions to Peter and to Stark, but Peter was a bit overwhelmed by the costumes on some of them – especially the women. They were really skimpy, some made almost entirely of see-through materials that were clearly designed to show off the forms underneath more than to cover or conceal them.

Already flushed from the fever, he was now blushing a brilliant shade of red for other reasons, as well. Even Tony looked a little distracted by them as each Asgardian took their hands when they were introduced, although he hid it well and was at his most charming. Peter was barely able to stammer out his _own_ name – much less remember those being told to him.

"Did you enjoy the show?" one of the women asked him as she was introduced, her eyes meeting his and her hand lingering on his forearm.

Since they had walked in late and he had fallen asleep not long after, Peter hadn't actually seen too much of it. But he didn't want to admit that and possibly offend her – or worse, hurt her feelings.

"Uh, yes," he said, flushing. "It was good."

She preened, touching his cheek with her fingertips.

"I'm glad you liked it," she told him. "Which was your favorite scene? The _action_? The _romances_? The _climax_?"

Stark snorted, realizing that Peter had missed the double meaning, entirely, since he'd missed all the physical scenes – at least Tony _hoped_ that he had.

"They were all amazing," Peter said, figuring that was safe and giving Tony an odd look.

"Have _you_ ever been on stage, my boy?" she asked, again brushing her fingertips along his arm, and meeting his stare with a frank gaze that held volumes. "Perhaps you and I could go somewhere… and you could help me rehearse?"

Fairly certain that Pepper wouldn't approve of things going much further than that, Tony put an arm around Peter's shoulders.

"We won't have time, unfortunately," he said, smoothly.

Heimdall was smiling, amused at the fact that the boy had managed to garner the attention of one of the more notorious performers in the entire troop. Of course, he was by far the youngest person at the gathering and that made him fascinating to those attending. In one manner or another.

"Perhaps another time," she told him, leaning forward and pressing a kiss against the boy's cheek, while her hand slid lower.

Peter jumped, startled, and Tony's hand that was still on his shoulder pulled him away from the woman.

"We're going to go get something to drink," he told Heimdall and the others. "Please excuse us."

He turned Peter toward the table that held the majority of the drinks, and the boy gave out a sigh that was mostly relief and a good deal of awe.

"Wow…"

Stark rolled his eyes, amused.

"I can't take you anywhere, can I? _Kirk_?"

Peter gave him a look.

" _What_? I didn't do _anything_. She… well I'm not even sure _what_ she was thinking, but _I_ didn't do anything to make her think that I… _did_ I?"

It wasn't something that he understood, after all. His grasp on the opposite sex and how to interact with them was painfully weak.

"You just need to dial down the cuteness," Tony told him, ruffling his hair. "Understand?"

"No," Peter admitted.

Stark rolled his eyes.

"Just trust me."

"Okay."

"What are you guys up to?" Natasha asked, walking up to them when they stopped at a table so Tony could find himself something to drink. She frowned at just how flushed Peter was, and palmed his forehead and then his cheek. "Are you okay?"

"He's fine," Tony assured her. "Just breaking hearts with those big, doleful puppy eyes of his."

She smiled, and hooked her arm through Peter's.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"No. Not really."

He was way out of his league and he knew it. He was socially awkward at the best of times, and that was with other awkward teens. He knew he needed to steer clear of the Asgardians – who were far more open about pretty much everything than he was ready to be.

"Stay with me," she told him. "I'll take care of you."

Stark smiled at the relief in Peter's expression and he picked up his drink.

"I'm going to go find Pepper," he said. "Figure we'll hang out here another half hour – to be polite – then we'll say our goodbyes and go home."

She nodded.

"Sounds good."

He looked at Peter.

"Are you okay with me leaving?"

"Go on, Tony," Natasha said, waving him away. "He's safe with me."

Peter nodded his agreement with that.

"Yeah. I'm good."

Stark held up a hand, giving Natasha a pointed look.

"The women here are _crazy_ ," he said. "Don't let him out of your sight."

"I won't."

"I _mean_ it. I don't want an angry father with a shotgun showing up at the front door of the tower nine months from now."

Peter blushed, but Natasha merely chuckled.

"We'll be fine. Right, Peter?"

"Yeah."

He had no intention of moving even a foot away from her side until they were back home. That was for sure.

OOOOOOO

"Hey, Kid, you're in my seat…"

Peter looked up and smiled.

"Sorry, Buddy. I'm using it right now."

Natasha smiled, sliding her hand along the back of Peter's head, running her fingers through his hair, and leaning in to brush a kiss against the corner of his mouth. If anyone watching them didn't know any better, it was obviously a lover's touch. Made even more clear by just how closely the two were sitting to each other, and Peter's hand resting easily on her thigh.

Of course, Strange _did_ know better – and was curious why they were putting on such a show.

He sat down, winking at Natasha before taking the other side of Peter rather than spoil the image they were giving by taking the other side of _Natasha_ and kissing her like he wanted. Of course, he had no intention of kissing _Peter_ , either. The Cloak of Levitation did reach out and caress the boy's cheek, though. It had opted to stay with Strange throughout the time they were away from Earth – just in case something came up and the sorcerer needed it. Peter's company would have to wait until they were back home.

Besides, its presence added to the already high fever, which wasn't necessary.

"Do I even _want_ to know?"

Peter blushed, but Natasha's smile grew.

"The Asgardian women – _and_ a few of the men – are very interested in our young Mr. Parker, and are very blatant in their appreciation of his good looks and untapped charms. I'm the _deterrent_."

"If they think I'm with _Natasha_ , they'll stop hitting on me," Peter explained. "It's worked, too."

" _Mostly_ ," she corrected. "We did get an invitation to join in some… explicit… _group_ activities."

The boy blushed even more – if that was even _possible_ – and Strange grinned.

"They are a very… _open_ … people, aren't they?"

"That play didn't give it away?"

He shrugged, amused.

"I suppose I can thank Peter for keeping the _men_ away from _you_ , as well?"

"Probably. It's hard to compete with all _this_ …" she said, gesturing to the boy sitting beside her.

Peter laughed, well aware that his scrawny body and baby face were hardly a force to be reckoned with. Probably the men were more worried that he'd throw a tantrum, or something.

"Tony's ready to call it a day," Stephen said. "Are you guys done canoodling?"

Peter hadn't heard the word before, and it showed. Natasha smiled, though, and took the boy's head in her hands and kissed him once more – this time full on the lips – which made him grin.

"We are, now," she said, getting gracefully to her feet and offering a hand to her temporary boyfriend. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

Aware that they didn't need to carry on their ruse, but enjoying it, nonetheless, Natasha hooked an arm through Peter's, but also put her free arm around Strange's lean waist as they walked through the crowded room and toward the doorway to the hall, heading back toward the clearing they'd arrived in.

As they walked, they were joined by the others, who were also being told that it was time to go. None of them were balking. The place was amazing – and the people friendly – but they were ready to get back home.


	34. Chapter 34

Thor and Heimdall were the only two Asgardians waiting to see the group off. They were both talking to Pepper and Stark as the others joined them, and both nodded to the rest as everyone stopped. Pepper smiled at Peter when Natasha delivered the boy to her side, and she ran her hand along his face, as always, concerned about just how warm he was.

"Did you have a good time?"

He nodded. There was no way he would have said anything else in front of their host, after all.

"Yeah. This place is amazing."

Thor beamed at the praise. He was very proud of his home world, after all – and the people living there.

"I think next time, we'll have Thor come to _us_ , though," Stark said, also thinking of the high fever Peter was running, and offering the god of thunder his hand.

"You are all welcome here," Thor said, expansively. "Just knock, first, please."

They smiled at that, and everyone said their goodbyes before turning and looking at Wong and Strange, who separated himself from Natasha's side.

"Are we ready?" he asked.

Heimdall stepped toward Peter and offered the boy his hand. It wasn't a traditional gesture for the Asgardians but he knew of it.

"It was good to meet you, Peter."

"Thanks for showing us around," the boy told him, feeling the tingle that was omnipresent in the back of his mind flare when Strange created the portal in front of them. "See you later?"

The Gatekeeper shrugged.

"Perhaps. If I find myself on your world, you will owe me a tour."

"Deal."

"Come on," Tony said, putting his hand on Peter's shoulder, and steering him toward the portal. "I want to get you home." The billionaire looked at Thor. "You know where to find us if you need anything."

"Likewise."

Peter saw that the terminus of the portal was the open field, and it was dark at home. The only light was from the flood lights. He glanced at his watch as he went through and saw it was only a few hours before dawn. The tingle was gone as soon as Strange dismissed the portal, and he gave a relieved sigh, which they all heard.

"Better?" Tony asked.

"Yeah."

"Let's start on that fever with a cool – but not _cold_ – shower before you go to bed," Strange said.

"After hanging out with those folks, Peter's not the _only_ one who needs a cold shower," Steve said, shaking his head with an amused smile.

As good-looking and well built as he was, he had been particularly sought after by the Asgardians – and didn't have Natasha to run interference for him.

"That's a fact," Clint agreed. "Nice folks, but… wow."

Stark looked at the sorcerers.

"Are you staying here?"

"No." Strange shook his head. "The sanctum can't be unguarded for long, and you don't need us. Monitor Peter's fever. If it spikes or doesn't start dropping within the next few hours, call me."

"Going to take a cold shower?" Natasha asked, with a smile.

"Definitely. I'll see you later."

"Thanks for the help," Peter said, well aware that he was the cause of all the recent activity. He made sure to include Wong as well as the others. "I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble."

"This isn't on you, Peter," Strange assured him. "Loki started it. You were only reacting. Besides, now I can say I've been to Asgard. It wasn't exactly on my bucket list, but it probably should have been."

"We can add to the knowledge in the library," Wong said, approvingly. "That is only a good thing."

Both magicians and the Cloak of Levitation vanished.

"I'm going as well," Wanda told Stark. "It was good to see you all."

"Thanks, Wanda," Tony said, sincerely. "Tell Vision I said hi."

"I will."

She glanced at Natasha, gave her a slight smile and vanished.

"I really like her," Peter said.

"Yeah, me too," Stark agreed. "Come on, let's get inside. It's chilly."

"How do you feel?" Pepper asked Peter, taking the other side of the boy as the group – smaller than it had been – made for the closest door. "Relieved to be home?"

She was.

He nodded.

"Those people are crazy," he told her, good-naturedly. He was tired enough – despite the short nap that he'd had – that he was a bit more loose-lipped than he might have been, otherwise, saying things that he wouldn't normally want her, or anyone else, really, to know. "They kept hitting on me…"

She smiled.

"Is that why you were sitting with Natasha like that?"

Pepper was very observant, especially when it came to Peter, now.

"Yeah. After the mostly naked performer groped me, Natasha suggested-"

"One of them _groped_ you?" Pepper asked, surprised. "When was that?"

"After the play. When Tony and I were talking to-"

"We don't really need to discuss that right now," Tony said, quickly. "It wasn't serious, Pepper. Just an _actor_. You know how they can get after a performance. Especially after _that_ performance."

"Was he cute?" Clint asked, amused.

Peter smiled at the teasing, and blushed.

"It was a girl. A _woman_ , I mean. I don't really remember," he admitted. "She didn't have a lot on."

Obviously, he hadn't been looking at her _face_. He was awkward, but he wasn't dead – and at sixteen, her face had been the least interesting part of her, as far as he was concerned. He didn't say that, though.

Pepper glared at Tony.

"You were supposed to be _watching_ him."

"I _was_. It happened pretty fast. But then, _responsibly_ , I got him out of there."

"And turned him over to _me_ ," Natasha added, amused. "Where the only woman allowed to touch him after that was yours truly."

Pepper's frown didn't fade, but Stark could see in her expression that she wasn't annoyed – not much, anyway. By then, the group was at the intersection where they would turn to go to their various quarters.

"Are you good?" Tony asked Peter. "Need anything?"

The boy shook his head.

"I'm fine. I'm going to take a cold shower and go to bed."

"And drink some water," Pepper added.

"Okay."

"We'll see you guys when you get up."

They separated, and Natasha put an arm through Peter's as Steve left the group as well to go get Jack.

"You might want to work on filtering yourself a little," she told the boy. "Otherwise Tony's going to spend a lot of time in the doghouse."

"I thought it was hilarious," Clint disagreed, also walking with them.

"You _would_. How many times did you get propositioned?"

"He's _married_ ," Peter pointed out.

"I doubt any of them really asked, first," Romanoff said, and smiled at Clint's agreement.

"They didn't care," Barton agreed. "Luckily, I do."

OOOOOOO

"You don't think he'll sleepwalk?"

Tony shrugged.

"I doubt it, but we're _home_ , now. Friday and Karen will let us know if he needs anything."

Why bother having the AIs if you didn't take advantage of it?

"Thank you for letting me come. It was really amazing."

He took her hand as they walked down the corridor, and brought it up so he could brush a kiss against her knuckles.

"You were the prettiest woman there. I'm glad I had the chance to show you off."

She smiled at that, but knew that he really meant it – which made her feel warm and gooey inside.

"Even prettier than the woman who was groping Peter?"

"She _barely_ touched him, sweetheart. He just overreacted a bit."

"He's _sixteen_ , Tony," she reminded him as they entered their quarters. "Of _course_ he did. You didn't answer the question, though."

"Far, _far_ prettier. And a much better dresser. Although, next time I see Thor, I might ask him to send some of those outfits in your size. They would _really_ -"

"Tony…"

He smiled, pleased that he'd had a chance to tease her into a good mood. He kissed her, pulling her into his arms and holding her closely for a long moment.

"I'm going to take a page out of Peter's book and take a cold shower."

Pepper ran her hand along his chest and down to his stomach.

"Take a _warm_ one, and I'll join you."

"That sounds even better."


	35. Chapter 35

Voices talking in soft murmurs woke him. A hand brushing against his forehead made sure he didn't go back to sleep – although he had a feeling that they were trying not to disturb him. He stirred, though, and opened his eyes. Tony, Pepper and Stephen were all standing around his bed, watching him wake up with varying degrees of chagrin.

"Hey," Tony said, gently, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside him, since he was awake, now.

"Hi."

Peter looked around, but he was in his own room, and in his own bed – and he didn't seem to have had anyone with him. He looked at his watch, absently, but noted that it was only a few hours later than it had been when he'd gone to sleep, and the sun was now shining through his bedroom window.

"How do you feel?"

Peter hesitated, trying to judge how he felt around the warmth and the exhaustion, knowing that some of that would be from just having woken up and from being covered with a blanket.

"Tired."

"Warm?" Strange asked from beside Pepper.

"Yeah. A little. I'm okay, though."

"You were beginning to worry us," Tony admitted, once more touching his cheek with his palm.

"Why? Did I sleepwalk?"

"No. But you've been asleep for more than a day."

"What?" He looked at his watch again, but this time he checked the date and saw that Tony was right; it was the day after they'd returned, not the same day as he'd automatically assumed. "Wow."

"Yeah _wow_ ," Tony agreed, moving his hand and getting up. "we're going to feed you and then get you on your feet for a while – even if it's just a walk to the lounge and back."

"Or some water walking in the pool, if you'd prefer," Strange added. "I want you to get some normal activity under your belt so I can get an idea of how you're doing. If you still feel sluggish after some exercise, then I'll worry. Right now, you're probably just tired from sleeping so long."

"That doesn't make sense," Peter pointed out.

"And yet, it's common knowledge. Do what I say, alright? I'm tired of Tony checking in with me every half hour asking if he should wake you up, or if you need to eat."

The doctor winked at Peter, good naturedly, assuring the boy that he wasn't annoyed, really, he was just getting a dig in on Tony, and Peter nodded.

"Okay."

"What do you want to eat?" Strange asked.

"Did you guys already eat?" Peter asked, pulling himself upright into a sitting position so Pepper would hopefully lose the worried look on her face.

They all nodded.

"Oatmeal."

A tray appeared with the requested oatmeal, as well as a plate of sausages and a glass of orange juice.

"Eat, and then get up, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

Strange looked at Pepper and Tony.

"I'll be in the lounge."

"Okay."

Peter watched him leave the room, and Tony frowned and gestured to the tray, getting the boy's attention back to where it needed to be just then.

" _Eat."_

OOOOOOO

Once he was stuffed with a big breakfast, Peter admitted that he didn't really feel like going into the pool. Instead, he changed into clean clothes while Pepper and Tony waited for him in his living room and then they all walked to the lounge.

"Did you hear anything from Thor?" Peter asked.

"No. We just left him," Tony reminded him. "Probably won't hear from him. He doesn't keep us up to date with what's going on very often."

"Oh."

Noting the slight disappointment in Peter's tone Pepper looked over at him.

"Were you hoping to hear from him?"

The boy shrugged.

"I was just wondering how Loki was doing."

Tony rolled his eyes, but was careful to not let Peter see the action.

"I'm sure he's fine, Peter," he told him. "Don't worry about him, okay?"

"We have other things to think about," Pepper said.

"Like what?"

"Well… we did interrupt Stephen and Natasha's cruise to come help us. How do we make it up to them?"

Peter hadn't even thought of that.

"Were they mad?"

"Of course not," Tony told him. "You know better than that."

"The people on the ship were a little shocked at their sudden disappearance, though," Pepper said with a smile. "Luckily, they had a port of call the very next morning, and it was assumed that the two of them went ashore with the others and never came back."

"Which Natasha told them was the case, when they started calling around looking for them."

"She claimed a family emergency," Pepper said, smiling. "Which wasn't even a _lie_ , when you think about it."

"They can't go back and finish it?"

"It's over. And it was the last one of their season – so it's either a different cruise somewhere else, or a different vacation entirely."

"So start thinking of something that they might want to do to make up for it," Tony told him.

"Probably not a sledding trip to Montana, though, huh?"

"No," Stark agreed, putting his hand on Peter's shoulder. "Definitely not."

Strange and Natasha were sitting at a table when they walked in. Steve was there, as well, and Peter suddenly found himself grabbed from behind and pulled away from his position between Tony and Pepper. Both of them shook their heads and walked to the table as Clint wrestled Peter to the floor. A moment later both of them were the subject of an attack by Jack, who was always willing to be part of a dog pile.

Encumbered by Clint's weight and strength and the need to keep Jack from getting rolled onto by either of them, Peter soon found himself pinned, and Jack trying to chew on his right ear, his tail wagging, excitedly.

"Uncle?" Barton asked, pointedly, holding Peter's head to allow the puppy access to the boy's ear, while Peter tried to squirm away.

"Not, yet," Peter grunted, forcing himself over and onto his belly with Clint straddling him still holding him down.

He reached for Jack with both hands and pulled the puppy under him to keep him from getting hurt as he drove himself up to his hands and knees, causing Clint to lose his grip and slip off, hands wrapped around Peter, still. The archer let him go, and grinned, scrambling to his feet and reaching down to offer Peter a hand up.

"Finally woke up, huh?"

"Yeah."

They headed for the table, with Jack following, cheerfully.

"How do you feel?" Clint asked him. "You look Better."

"I feel good. Thanks."

He smiled a greeting to Natasha and Steve and settled next to Rogers, who reached down and scooped Jack up, cuddling the puppy while he was still small enough to be held that way.

"Well," Strange said, approvingly. "You look much better."

If the boy was well enough to wrestle, then he was probably well enough that he didn't need any of them hovering over him, waiting to catch him if he toppled over.

"I'm fine," Peter assured him.

"Well enough to spend some time at the sanctum today?"

The boy looked immediately interested.

"Sure. Doing what?"

"Notice he said yes before he even knew what you _wanted_?" Clint pointed out. "Tell him that you have a sink full of dishes that need washed."

Stephen wasn't the only one to smile.

"Nothing too exciting," the doctor admitted. "Wong is putting together a tome – a book. He wants the recent events put down on paper and catalogued into the library – just in case something like that happens, again."

"He wants to put my story in a book?" Peter asked, just to make sure that he understood.

"Some of it, yes."

"Wow."

"We've already pestered Steve, Natasha and Clint. Tony and Pepper have promised to add their own accounts, as well, and he'll track Wanda down to get her side, also. Your perspective will be very interesting, of course. And he wants your impression of Asgard."

"He was _there_ ," Peter pointed out. "He's a magician."

"Everyone sees things differently," Natasha reminded the boy. "You know that."

Strange had already told her that he was going to invite the boy to the sanctum. From the lack of surprise on their faces, Tony and Pepper had been warned, too.

"It would probably just take a few hours – at the most – but we'd keep you overnight, if you'd like. We haven't had you over for a while, after all."

Peter looked over at Tony and Pepper, who understood that he was asking for permission. It was clear that he was interested.

"It's up to you," Stark said, smiling. "We don't have anything planned for today."

"Yeah. That would be great."

"Good. Go pack a bag," Strange told him. "We'll see if Ned wants to stop by, too."

That would save them all the trouble of telling the other boy what had happened - and besides, Wong and Steven both enjoyed Ned's company. And Ned loved the sanctum - almost as much as he loved the tower and the compound.


	36. Chapter 36

They arrived in the sanctum foyer about twenty minutes later. Strange had a hand on Peter's shoulder, but it wasn't absolutely needed – he just wanted to make sure the boy was steady when they 'landed'. Which hadn't been an issue. Peter was still a little warmer than he should be, but the dangerous fever was gone, and the solid sleep he'd had had done its job and restored him, physically.

The boy had barely had a chance to get his bearings and look around when he was suddenly accosted by the cloak, which came swooping into the room from the stairs and swarmed him, muttering in his head cheerfully and chiding him at the same time. Peter didn't know what it was annoyed about, but assumed it had been because he'd been fevered, and the relic wasn't allowed full access to him when he was already too hot to safely handle the magical energy the thing radiated.

"Go put your bag in your room," Strange told him. "Then call Ned and see if he's ready."

"Okay."

With the cloak still rubbing on him and caressing his cheeks, Peter headed towards the staircase that dominated the front room of the sanctum. Wong came out of the kitchen just in time to see him vanish around the corner.

"Back so soon?"

"I didn't want to linger at the compound. With Ned coming, we'll want to give you as much time as we can to get Peter's notes into the book before the boys start getting restless and want to go look around."

Wong smiled.

"Keep inviting people here and we might lose our reputations for being _mysterious_."

Strange shrugged, also in a good mood. They both enjoyed the very rare times when Peter and Ned were both around the sanctum.

"Peter's going to be an Avenger. We lost him before we had a chance to recognize what he could be. Ned can be a lot more than Peter's guy in the chair, though, so better we lose a bit of our reputation than the chance at finding such a suitable apprentice. _If_ that's what he wants to do."

Ned was still young. Plenty of time for him to decide what he wanted to be. But both men liked him and were impressed by his attitude and his intelligence. If he wanted to try his hand at becoming a sorcerer, they would be willing to let him try.

"Agreed." Obviously, since he didn't even _complain_ when Strange had suggested he might invite both boys instead of just Peter like they'd initially planned. "Anything exciting planned for the evening?"

"A building filled with magical relics and two intelligent and curious teens?" Strange said. "I'm sure we'll find something. They're still interested in just looking around, though. Unlike the compound, we don't really need to plan activities. Besides, Ned's going to want to hear about Asgard, and the telling will take a while."

"I'll incorporate it into the book while Peter's telling Ned," Wong said.

Before he could say anything else, Peter came hurtling down the stairs two and a time, smiling when he saw Wong. With the cloak still on his shoulder, Strange knew that he didn't _have_ to worry about him falling since it would levitate the boy if he stumbled – and he was a pretty nimble kid, anyway – but he _did_ still have to bite down the automatic command to slow down so he wouldn't hurt himself.

Maybe Tony's overprotectiveness was rubbing off on him a little. Or maybe he was learning to worry about someone who he was coming to care for quite a bit. He wasn't ready to accept that, though, and he smiled, mostly to himself, because he was amused by his refusal to be honest with himself, when he was so upfront with everyone else around him.

"Did you get a hold of Ned?" he asked, instead.

"Yeah. He said that he's already on his way to the safehouse. He'll meet us there."

It was the easiest way to get Ned to the sanctum. Strange could drive over to his building and pick him up, but why bother when he had instant transportation and they had a good place to meet where no one might accidently see the doctor utilizing his powers? The safe house was only a couple of blocks from where Ned lived, and the boy had a key – although for safety and security reasons, he _didn't_ have access to the panel that exposed the suit.

Strange looked at Wong.

"We'll be right back."

"All right. I'll be in the library when you return."

The cloak shifted to Stephen's collar and a moment later, he and Peter both vanished from the sanctum and ended up in the living room of the safe house. Peter sat down on the arm of the sofa and looked around, but the place looked the same. Strange walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, curiously.

"Ugh. You need to bring some groceries in," he told the boy.

"I never eat _here_."

"It's a good thing. If something came up and you needed to, you'd _starve_."

Peter walked over and looked. Sure enough, all that was in the fridge was a jar of pickles.

"I guess I could put some sandwich stuff or something in here," he said, shrugging. "In case Ned's in the neighborhood and he's hungry. If _I'm_ hungry, I'd just go home."

Strange smiled at that. As far as he knew that was the first time that Peter had actually called the compound home. At least in front of _him_. The sorcerer knew the boy considered Tony and Pepper to be his family, something he was still learning to accept – along with the Avengers who were most likely aunts and uncles – but calling the Avenger facility _home_ – aloud, even – showed that he was finally beginning to feel that he was really a part of it. And of the family that had embraced him.

That was progress. And he doubted Peter even knew it had happened.

He winked and opened the freezer portion of the upright and Peter shook his head. There were now two neat stacks of microwaveable dinners in the freezer – along with a tray of ice cubes and a blue thing that was designed to go into lunch bags for keeping a meal cool, if needed.

"If only I had a _microwave_ in here," Peter said, pointedly.

The doctor rolled his eyes, good-naturedly, and a microwave appeared on the counter closest to the fridge and above the dishwasher.

"You're spending too much time with _Tony_ , young man," he chided. "He's rubbing off on you."

"That only stands to reason," the boy told him – and Strange could see that he liked hearing it. "We spend a lot of time together."

Before Strange could reply, they both heard the front door open. Stephen shut the freezer and they went into the living room, where Ned was just closing and locking the door behind him. He grinned, excitedly.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?"

Peter shrugged, but Strange stepped forward.

"Funny you should ask, Ned," he said. "Let's go to the sanctum and we'll fill you in on the latest gossip."

A moment later, the three of them were gone, leaving the apartment empty, as it usually was.


	37. Chapter 37

"So Loki was in Flash's head, making him say that stuff?"

Strange nodded.

"It would appear so – according to everything we've found out, since then."

"Huh." The boy looked over at Peter. "I guess I owe him an apology on this one. But he really doesn't need a god in his ear to be an asshole to everyone else – and we can't blame Loki for _all_ of them."

Peter nodded his agreement to that.

"Yeah."

The four of them were at one of the large tables in the library on the third floor of the sanctum. The _interesting_ library, as Ned liked to refer to it. They had gone up there once they'd arrived at the sanctum, and Ned had greeted Wong, who had already been seated at the table, with a supply of paper in hand.

Strange had produced a snack for both boys – which he and Wong had then helped themselves to, as well – and Peter and the sorcerers had filled Ned in on what had happened most recently with Loki. Any time Peter would speak, Wong's blank papers would fill with the narrative in blue ink. When Strange was saying something, the words would come out in black. He didn't have to write down anything that they said, it just appeared on the paper.

He _did_ admit that he'd have to go back and edit it before the narrative actually was put into the volume that he was preparing, but the majority of the writing was done magically – to save time. And to keep his fingers from cramping.

Which was a good thing, since they'd been talking for over an hour, and no one was bored with the conversation, yet. Several pages of paper had been filled with neat script.

"You should have kept him in the portal, Peter…" Ned told him, shaking his head.

"You think so?" Strange asked, hiding his surprise at the comment.

"The guy is a _psycho_. He's gone after Peter twice, now, right? Yeah. Nothing to stop him from trying to do it again – he'll just be a lot more careful, now. Since Peter proved to him that he can kick his ass and all."

"We don't have to worry about Loki," Wong assured him. "That's been handled."

Ned wasn't the only one to look over at him, confused.

"What do you mean?" Strange asked.

"You mean those protections that you and Doctor Strange put up?" Ned asked at the same moment.

Wong shook his head.

"We added another spell."

"We did?" Stephen asked.

"Not _we_ …" he replied, gesturing to included him and Strange. "Wanda and I did. When we were on Asgard."

"What?"

Ned was immediately interested, catching on that this wasn't something that Strange knew about.

"What kind of spell?" he asked. "What does it do?"

Wong described the visit that he, Wanda and Natasha had made to Loki's room, explaining briefly what the spell was. He didn't need to explain it to Strange at all – once he heard what it did, he understood it, of course – and the boys didn't know enough about magic to understand the dynamics needed to create the spell on Loki, only what it _did_.

"That's awesome," Ned said when he was done, clearly impressed. "How did he react? Pretty pissed off, I bet."

"He wasn't happy."

Peter looked over at Strange, wondering if setting spells with another magician's girlfriend and not telling him was against the sorcerer's bro code, or something. Natasha hadn't actually _done_ the spell, but she'd been there for it, and it was obviously the first time that the doctor was hearing about it. The doctor didn't look annoyed, though, as near as Peter could tell. A little surprised, but mostly he had that expression that he always seemed to have when he was considering something.

That ultra-intense look that Peter knew he'd never be able to pull off, no matter how old and wise he ever got.

Aware of the scrutiny, Strange shrugged.

"It's a good solution," he admitted, not bothering to hide that he was impressed. "If Loki gets trapped again, it'll be completely his fault. Not Peter's, not yours or Wanda's. His own."

"It's pretty poetic," Ned agreed. "He's always screwing with people's heads. Now he has to keep his own on straight, or _poof_! no more Loki problems. And he would only have himself to blame."

Wong nodded his agreement.

Peter looked a bit troubled by it, but Ned looked completely satisfied by the resolution.

"Is that going to go in the book, too?" Ned asked.

"Yes. Whenever a new spell is created, it's something to add to the library. This one was actually Wanda's idea, but she needed a magician to create it."

"Why not _Dr. Strange_?" Ned asked, curiously. He looked between the two men. "Different spells for different individuals? Minds don't work the same way kind of thing, so it's easier for one person to cast one kind of spell and someone else to do it a different way?"

"Something like that," Wong said.

Peter glanced at Strange again, and decided that Wanda hadn't gone to him because he might not have been willing to do something so final to Loki. Even if it was the god of mischielf's fault for getting himself stuck in a portal, it was _still_ someone stuck in a portal. Forever. Peter knew how _he_ felt about that, already, and figured Strange felt close to the same way.

From what he knew about her, Wanda could see into people's heads and would have known which of the sorcerers would have been her best bet for assistance.

"That's awesome," Ned said, shaking his head. "One less thing to worry about, then, right Peter?"

Peter turned.

"What? Oh, yeah. Definitely."

"So, now what happens?" Ned asked. "With _Asgard_ , I mean? Are you guys going back there for anything?"

Strange smiled. Ned was fairly transparent, sometimes, despite being very intelligent. Clearly the boy was hoping for an invitation to accompany them if they returned.

"No reason to go back," he told Peter's friend. "If Thor needs anything, he'll come to us – or communicate it to the Avengers and Tony, presumably."

"He doesn't have a watch though, right?" Ned asked, holding his wrist up. "It wouldn't work for sending messages from that far – unless there was subspace involved, I guess. But that's mostly science fiction so far. I think." The boy looked at Peter. "Is Mr. Stark working on anything like that?"

Peter shrugged.

"I'm not sure. You'd have to ask him. He probably-"

The boy was interrupted by his watch chiming, softly, and Peter looked down at it, shaking his head. As if speaking about him and made him think of him, Tony was calling.

"Hi, Tony."

Strange shook his head.

"That's uncanny."

Peter smiled.

" _Hey, Peter. How's it going?"_

"Good."

" _Is Ned there, yet?"_

"Yeah."

" _Has Stephen acquired any new gray hairs?"_

Wong smiled, too. Peter rolled his eyes.

"Not, yet."

" _Pepper wants to know if they fed you."_

"We had sandwiches."

" _For dinner?"_

"No, I think it's just a snack."

" _Tell him no cinnamon."_

"Tell him we're having French toast with nutmeg syrup," Strange said.

Peter laughed.

"He said okay."

" _Why do I get the feeling that that_ isn't _what he said?"_

"Because you know him so well?"

The amusement in Tony's voice was easy to hear.

" _Do you need anything?"_

Strange rolled his eyes, now, and triggered his own watch's communicator.

"He's fine, Tony. We'll make sure he eats, and gets to bed at a decent hour."

" _Don't forget to read him a bedtime story."_

"I will."

" _Call if you need anything."_

Whether he was talking to Strange or to Peter, they didn't know, but the lines both went silent and Strange looked over at Peter.

"I'm not telling you a bedtime story."

"You _have_ to tell him one, now," Ned pointed out, grinning. "You promised Mr. Stark that you would."

He wished that he could spend the night, just to see what he came up with. But while it wasn't a school night, his mom needed him at home, later, so he wouldn't be able to.

The doctor shook his head and Wong pointed at him.

"I think I see a hair turning gray…"


	38. Chapter 38

The sanctum was an interesting place. Even for someone who had been there many times by then and knew the place well. The magicians were always getting new artifacts in – sometimes from other realms and even dimensions and sometimes from the other sanctums, like Peter's teleportation stone. When Wong was finished with Peter, and Ned had been caught up on everything that had recently happened with Loki, the two boys asked permission to look around for a while.

Strange had granted it, of course, only reminding them not to touch anything that felt dangerous to Peter – and to take the cloak with them, in case for some reason Peter's spider senses failed him and they got on the wrong end of something deadly. Not taking the cloak wasn't an option, really, since the relic had been cuddling up to Peter since his arrival and almost certainly would be until he left the next day. Longer, even, if Strange went with him.

"Did you see Dr. Bird today?" Ned asked as they headed down to the main floor to look at the displayed artifacts there.

"No. I've pretty much been sleeping off the trip."

"What was Asgard like?"

"The place is beautiful," Peter told him. "Kind of like what you think of ancient Greece would be like. But the people are huge. Muscular guys with armor and weapons – all kinds of things like that."

"Amazon women?" Ned asked, hopefully. "I could go along with that. Get me some snoo snoo."

Peter smiled.

"I don't know about that, but they had this play – which I slept through, and now I wish that I hadn't, because it must have been a doozy. The performers had this weird party after it was over and most of them weren't bothering to cover themselves. It was like being in a porno, or something."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

Not surprisingly, Ned wanted details, and Peter was willing, even though he did find himself blushing even as he was describing the outfits and the woman who had been more intimate with him than even Natasha – which was saying something since he slept cuddled right up against her many times.

"Too bad Mr. Stark was there, huh?"

Peter just shook his head. He was ambiguous about the whole thing, really, but wasn't going to admit that to Ned. Instead, he changed the topic as they started looking at some of the displays that Ned hadn't seen before, and Peter tried to explain what they did – or at least what he'd been told the sorcerers _thought_ that they did.

Wong joined them an hour or so later, saying that he needed a break from the library and that Strange was going to start dinner. The magician showed them a few objects that he had borrowed from one of the other sanctums to study, but told Peter that they weren't allowed to touch them, as one innocuous looking item had badly burned one of the Chinese caretakers and hadn't even shown a flame of any sort to prove how it had happened. When Peter got close enough to it – and it _did_ look harmless; kind of like a little figurine that they all used when they played D&D – he could feel the evil coming off the thing and didn't have any desire to go anywhere near it.

"Are you getting any vibes from it?" Ned asked, looking at the thing, curiously. "It kind of looks like a dark elf, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. It _feels_ like one would, too," Peter replied, looking from the relic to Wong. "It's bad, Wong."

The magician nodded.

"We suspected as such. The injury could have been a simple mishandling, of course, but the person who was hurt is fairly careful about such things. Now we know for sure, and can take appropriate measures."

Before they could discuss the next one, Strange called them to the kitchen for dinner, using Peter's communication watch. What was the point of having the tech if you weren't going to use it, after all? They headed to the kitchen, where the doctor had set up a simple taco bar – which he knew was a favorite of both boys, and was simple to make.

While the four of them had dinner around the island in the kitchen, Wong and Strange made a point to ask Ned how his family was. They already knew what Peter had been up to, after all, and wanted to make sure the boy understood that the less exciting and far more mundane life that he led was equally interesting to them. Which it was. It was interesting to Peter, too, even though he was pretty good about keeping up with what was going on with his friends. He didn't have a ton of them, after all, so it wasn't that hard to do so.

When dinner was done the boys did the dishes before Strange jumped Ned back to the safehouse.

"See if your mom will let you come over next weekend," Peter told him in the living room. "I'll see if Tony will make a D&D campaign for us."

"Sounds good."

They waited, watching out the window until he appeared on the street and was well down the block before Strange jumped the two of them back to the sanctum. Wong had retired for the evening, which wasn't surprising, even though Peter wasn't sure what he liked to do when he wasn't doing super cool magician stuff.

"How do you feel?" Strange asked him, leading the boy over to the fireplace and lighting it with a thought rather than using a match.

There was a couch and a couple of softly upholstered chairs in front of it, and even though it was warm inside the sanctum, the chilly weather outside made the fire comfortable. Peter shrugged and sat down on the couch.

"I'm okay."

Strange checked his forehead before sitting down next to him.

"Yes. A little warm – but we expect that when you're here. Not tired?"

"No. A little, maybe. But I feel pretty good."

"You looked worried, earlier," Strange said. "When we were discussing the spell Wong and Wanda used on Loki."

"No. I'm not. I mean, I'm… not. Worried."

"So what are you worried about?"

He shrugged.

"I guess I just worry that he won't be able to stop himself and will get trapped."

"He knows the risks, Peter."

"I know. But still… maybe he hates me so much that he can't help himself. Then what?"

"Then he gets trapped." The doctor sighed, and leaned back a little into the couch's cushion. "You can't be responsible for Loki. No more than I can be. The spell is a little extreme, but it's not instant. He gets a chance. You said maybe he hates you enough to not be able to avoid triggering it, but this has nothing to do with you, any longer."

"It doesn't?"

"No. It's all on him, Peter. He is making his own choices."

"But-"

"The men who kidnapped you…" Strange interrupted. "The journalist with the umbrella and his two accomplices."

"Yeah?"

"They're all dead."

"I know."

"Do you blame yourself for their deaths? _You're_ the one they tried to ransom to Tony, after all."

Peter shook his head.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't have anything to do with that."

"No, you didn't," he agreed. "They chose to do what they did – and only they are responsible for the consequences of that decision. Same with Loki. You can't be responsible for what he thinks."

"It's not the same, though," Peter protested. "Thinking about kidnapping me didn't get them killed. Doing it did. Well, getting caught, did, I mean."

"The minute they got it into their heads that taking you from the compound would be an easy way to make money, they set their own fate in motion," the doctor pointed out. "They knew who they were up against, right?"

"Yeah. It's not a secret that Tony is Ironman."

Of course, Strange thought privately, they hadn't had any idea that _Ironman_ was going to be the least of their worries. Natasha Romanoff's methods were much more direct and lethal than Tony Stark's. By far.

"So, they made a choice, and they paid for it. Same with Loki. He can choose what happens to him from now on. There's no reason he ever needs to trigger another portal, after all. Makes sense?"

Peter nodded, reluctantly. When put like that, it really did.

"Yeah."

"Good." A chessboard appeared on a small end table, and Strange got up and moved it to a position between the two of them. "Now. Let's talk about something else, okay?"

"Okay." Peter turned the board to allow Strange to play white. "Tell me about your cruise," he suggested. "What was the ship like? What did you guys do?"

He figured he'd find out the best parts – according to Strange – and pass them on to Pepper, so she could decide what they could do to make up for the interrupted vacation.


	39. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

"This is nice…"

Stephen Strange opened his eyes and looked over at the woman who was lounging beside him, the deck chair open as far as it could be to allow her to be almost flat – which gave her the most opportunity to take advantage of the warm sunshine that was practically engulfing them. She was wearing a bikini that showed off her wonderful figure – although there was a small scar that marred her otherwise perfect skin, and was almost asleep, lazing in the warmth like a contended feline.

"Yes."

"Even more relaxing than a cruise."

Considering all they had to do was worry about sitting around the pool all day with a cold drink in their hands, he had to agree to _that_ , as well. He reached out and took her hand, content to simply be with her.

"Absolutely. We should have chosen _this_ , first."

She made a sound of agreement, and he let her hand go and closed his eyes, again, settling in to take a nap. Which was exactly what he'd done that morning, too.

" _Coming through!"_

Startled, he opened his eyes just in time to see Peter run by their lounge chairs, dressed in only a pair of swim trunks and throwing himself into the pool, water flying everywhere – including all over him and Natasha. The water wasn't especially cold, but it felt like ice when it hit their sun-warmed skin and they both gasped and sat up at the same time.

"We're not _here_ ," Tony Stark told them, walking by at a much more sedate pace, wearing nothing more than Peter had been. His shorts were wet, proving he'd already been in the water. "Just act like you didn't see that."

Romanoff smiled, pulling her sunglasses off to wipe the water off her face. Pepper had been following Stark, but she stopped at the lounge chairs and settled in the one beside Strange, watching as Tony jumped into the pool and half swam, half walked over to where Peter was waiting near the deep end ladder, waiting for him so they could go try out the water slide.

"Did he get you? Sorry."

Natasha shook her head, also looking over at the boy and Tony.

"I'm _not_. It's good to see him having a good time and smiling."

Pepper nodded, rubbing some sun lotion onto her hands.

"It was nice of you guys to be willing to let us impose on your vacation. We _could_ have gone somewhere else."

"It's better to have you right where we can keep an eye on you," Strange told her. "And by _you_ , I mean Tony and Peter. I have all the faith in the world that you could manage a vacation without hurting yourself. _Those_ two, on the other hand…"

Tony and Pepper had sat Natasha and Strange down one day about a week after the events with Loki were settled and had thanked them for being so willing to forgo their cruise – especially since the cruise itself had been a thank you present. They had then presented the two with a new vacation. This one to an all-inclusive stay at a very secluded place in Hawaii. Guaranteed sunshine and all the free drinks they cared to imbibe.

And a promise not to bother them the week that they were gone, no matter what came up.

Natasha and Stephen had both shaken their heads at that, saying that if they were needed, of course they would prefer to know it, and be called upon. Surprisingly enough, it had been _Strange_ who suggested that since the winter break was coming for Peter's school, if they didn't already have other plans why didn't they just take a family vacation at the same resort and at the same time?

"That way _we'll_ be close at hand if you need us, and we won't be stressing about what's going on at home."

"We couldn't do that," Pepper had said.

Tony had mentioned the possibility of Peter ending up in their bed if they were that convenient and Natasha had pointed out that the boy had already done that to them – and they'd been thousands of miles away.

"We don't mind," she assured them both. "Ask Peter if it's something he's interested in doing. If he says yes, then consider yourselves invited."

When it had been brought up to Peter, he had given them the same arguments that Tony and Pepper had, but Natasha had simply asked him bluntly if he was tired of her company already – which had, of course, garnered an immediate no. And a reluctant agreement to go – but only if they were _sure_. Which they said that they were.

A month later found them all on a pristine white beach, and Strange cautioning Peter to stay out of the water to avoid being eaten by a shark. The boy wasn't a bad swimmer – living in the compound and having all-time access to a pool had made him fairly competent – but he wasn't willing to try out those skills on the ocean and the waves that were slamming onto the beach. Instead, he had settled for the pool at the resort, which was just as much fun for him, really.

He'd agreed immediately, and Tony had assured Natasha and Stephen that they wouldn't even know that they were there. Their rooms were even on the other side of the resort.

"He didn't end up in your bed last night?"

Strange shook his head, watching as Peter led Tony up a twisting staircase that went to the top of a mammoth water slide.

"Did he sleepwalk at all?"

"Not as far as I know."

The boy had his own room, of course, and no AI integrated into the walls to let them know if he was moving around at night when he should be sleeping. On the positive note, he had had only two sleepwalking episodes in the last five weeks, without any indications of any onslaught of panic attacks and that was a win – which was making Peter feel more confident, and happier – and was allowing Pepper and Tony to relax a little as well.

Enough to take him to Hawaii and hope he would be fine there. Which he was.

Life was settling down. Peter was finally feeling less stress and more cheerfulness – and was smiling more than they had seen him do in many months. Tony was learning how to indulge without spoiling – even though it was always tempting when he was dealing with Peter, and even Pepper was adjusting to living with not only Ironman, but also Spiderman – who was seen more frequently on the streets of Queens, both during the day and sometimes at night.

Peter had even shown her and Tony – and anyone else who wanted proof – a chest hair that week. Although for some reason, he'd refused to allow _Natasha_ anywhere near it.

Sometimes you just couldn't figure out a teen-aged boy. No matter how much you tried.

 _THE END_

 _Well, thanks for reading! The story was Loki centric and since the Loki issue is resolved, it was time to put this one to bed. More are coming, though, so hopefully there's an interest._


End file.
